Blade on Ice
by Fergal D Gerbil
Summary: Blade travels to Antarctica to find the last remnants of the vampire race who were protected from the Daystar virus.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

October 21 2008, 4 PM, Antarctica. It was dark, thankfully dark. This was one of the few times that Janet was thankful for her husband's traveling but she had to admit that he had learned quite a lot of things in his wanderings around the world and this moment of peace and darkness was nirvana captured and made personal. She was reaching blindly for the alarm clock and was beginning to wonder why her husband had not gotten to it already. He was always up and about before she was and usually had breakfast ready even though breakfast here meant a Meal Ready to Eat or an MRE as they were called from the days when they were the only meals available to military forces. They were still in use to this day all around the world but not only for military uses any more. Mountain climber, hikers and all kinds of long endurance outdoors sports people had used them at one time or another. She found the alarm clock and finally managed to silence the incessant ringing. Janet lay a moment and thought of taking a little snooze but she knew her data readings were waiting to be taken and she had to get them as early as possible so that she could ensure everything was ready when the satellite came into range in a few hours and her research staff would be waiting for her upload.

She was also going to send some pictures she had taken as well even though this was a technical violation of the rules for using the satellite feed but she was the first of her research group to come out this far and she was going to make sure the others were able to enjoy it. She pulled on the cord beneath her neck and felt the knot opening. It was the strangest feeling to have a hood over your head while you slept but after only a few nights she was able to sleep through without once being awakened by the light. She already knew better than to try taking the hood off slowly, it was going to hurt whatever she did and so she yanked it off in one fast movement and cringed as the light seemed to probe and invade her eyes and mind itself. The next seconds seemed to pass like hours for her but slowly her eyes became accustomed to the bright light and she could make out the all too familiar layout of the tent she shared with her husband.

It was unusual to have couples here but as they were both specialists in their fields and both fields were so closely related. Both were needed for this investigation, it was a blessing of sorts that she could actually travel with him this time and not just get the stories and pictures of what he and his team and done some months later. It did not take long for her to dress, she merely had to put her big think wool socks on and then her insulated boots and that was it. They had learned that even after a romantic or a passionate night of Love that it was wise to clothe up again in case the heater failed or they had to leave the tent in a hurry for any reason. She walked to the tent flap, put her bright red parka jacket on and ensured that it was zipped up fully and that her head coverings and gloves were dogged down tight before she unzipped the flap and walked outside into the unrelenting Antarctic sunlight.

It was only October and the temperature was still down in the low -30F region way out here on the West Antarctic ice sheet. It was thought of as becoming weaker and possibly being in danger of falling into the Antarctic waters thereby cooling the oceans and causing an acceleration of the global warming which her husband and she had studied for so long. They were attempting to verify a chamber which had shown up on the images sent back from the latest satellite to be launched over the most Southern continent 18 months before. Other satellite passes had not picked this cavern up and though it was small it was also in a position where any weakening could be disastrous if it were to spread beyond where it was shown at the moment.

Her husband was the lead on the group which had set up camp a mile from the edge of the feature and he was in charge of taking core samples and ground penetrating radar readings while she was more focused on snow density readings and possible geologic features which could have impacted this region or caused this cavern to become. Janet was worried that unseen rivers which are common in Antarctica, could have eroded this area for some time. There was much concern as to whether this feature had existed before the new satellite was launched and was simply not seen by other satellites as they passed over or whether this was something new. That would possibly be worrying for a large cavern to appear without warning. Several other places around the area were marked for investigation as they appeared to be openings in the surface level ice which was unusual but that issue was being dealt with by another team member.

The 6 person group had only been on the ground for 4 days and the extra team which had come out to set everything up for them had left only the day before after the group had ensured that all of their measuring and survival equipment, especially the solar powered satellite phone and emergency radios were operational. This was the first day of true investigation as opposed to equipment checks but every good scientist knew that equipment makes the proof and without that you have only images or tales to tell. Neither of them would be accepted as proof by the skeptics and even by many of those who shared their concerns of what was possible to be found here. She buried her face as deep in the hood of her parka as she could, the mouth covers would keep much of the cold from entering her throat. She breathed in the frozen air and she knew it would only be so long before even her lungs felt chilled and every breath would be something she would dread. She grasped the hand held radio that was always tied to her parka sleeve with a spare and fully charged battery in her inside pocket and called over the radio frequency to try to find where everyone else.

Janet wondered if they had already gone exploring without her but even though her expertise lay in a field that would not be needed for another 2 days she doubted very much that they would leave her in camp all by herself while they went and had their fun riding around on the snow mobiles. She called several times but got no reply, they were warned about this phenomenon before they left McMurdo station, the hand held radios were line of sight and only when they were visible or on the same plain could they be used so far out beyond repeater tower coverage. There was a small antenna hooked to the computer which recorded all signals it picked up but was not equipped to be used as a repeater. The antenna could hear but not aid them or link them together if they were on the wrong side of a snow bank. She recalled the information from the safety briefing and she turned in different directions to ensure she was not blocking the signal herself, she took a deep breath and removed her mouth cover, held the radio above her head and shouted into the mic before replacing the mouth cover and taking a deep cold breath.

Janet was beginning to get annoyed at the thought of being the only one not out already with everyone else on the first day of investigation but then she saw something that made her Start to wonder. All three snow mobiles were still tied up and had their engine warmers still plugged in to the electrical lines that ran out from the generator. If this was some sort of sick joke then someone was going to pay dearly for it and her husband was the only one she was thinking of right now. She already knew every one of his weak spots even better than he did and she was making a mental list of which ones to hit and in which order when she heard the footsteps coming softly from behind her. Janet brought the radio to her lips and as she began to turn around she also began singing "Can you hear me, can you hear me coming, can you hear me running can you hear me calling…." The scream was the last sound she would be known to make.

McMurdo Station, same time.

Several buildings held radio equipment and staff to monitor, program or repair the equipment but only two places were held to be civilian radio hubs. The Firehouse building which monitored all transmissions in and around town and cleared people in and out for hikes or traveling to areas outside the town limits depending on current and projected local weather conditions. The other building had no upper window, this was a pity as it looked out over McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea area of Ross Island on which McMurdo station and Scott base were located, not exactly on the Antarctic continent but linked year round by the ice bridge that had been frozen for longer than records went back. Those inside were busy with their tasks and their equipment was designed to monitor emergency transmissions on certain frequencies and carrier bands, the people went on about their normal business and were happily preparing for the end of their shift unaware that anything was happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet team or to any other team.

The main radio tower was at Arrival Heights which was the lifeline of communication equipment on the island and which in turn was focused directly towards Black Island which was only a few miles away across the Ice sheet beside white Island so named for the colors of the little land masses caused by whether snow covered the volcanic rock or not. The repeater station on Black Island was the main carrier for data and communications to the rest of the world and was aimed at a satellite above the equator which was used as a relay platform. The height of the relay satellite was high enough to be seen by the repeater station on Black Island but the dish there had to almost point horizontally in order for its signal to reach the satellite due to the curvature of the Earth.

All of the frequencies were monitored by the Air Force command building which housed some of the equipment to communicate with the aircraft used to get people into and out of McMurdo station and the South Pole station, other smaller camps were supplied with helicopters or light aircraft instead. The airfield buildings at the Ice runway were the main communications relay for aircraft landings and departures but this building was where the military made sure that things were as they should be. It was in the Air Force building that Paul Monaghan, a junior officer on watch, heard the first indications that something was not right on the Ice.

A few moments later a call came in from the copilot of a C130 flying inbound to McMurdo station who reported picking up a scream while scanning radio frequencies. The junior officer replied before the radio control tower at the ice runway some 4 miles away was able to get on and ask for clarification. "Stand down and prepare sit rep for submittal upon arrival, attempt to coordinate signal transmission point and locate point of origin. Call in range and fuel status at first available opportunity." Monaghan had already picked up the phone and was dialing in the numbers to activate the pager alert system which was the best way to track anyone down in McMurdo station.

It took 2 minutes for senior Air Force personnel to begin arriving in the small radio receiving room and learn what was going on. Monaghan had already patched the radio recording trough to the computer's memory and had it queued up for playback, he knew this was going to be bad news and had already began preparing his official report when the pilot of the C130 came on the radio once more. The radio had been put on speakers so that all personnel could hear the report.

"This is Charley 012 light on inbound McMurdo, fuel at 50% reserves and flight crew ready and standing by to assist." The pilot reported, he had more than enough fuel to loiter for a few more hours or even take a diversionary vector and investigate if a location and range could be verified. The National Science Foundation representative Henry James had arrived and he was just in time to hear the radio transmission replayed through the overhead speakers. "Can you hear me, can you hear me coming, can you hear me running can you hear me calling…." came the woman's voice. The scream sent shivers through everybody inside and outside of the small room.

The Air Force commander, Jack Mayor, looked at Mr. James. "Henry, who and where are they?" Henry knew all too well who they were and he felt that the geographic location no longer held anyone who would scream like that, wherever they were, they were now as surely gone as were the early Antarctic explorers. Henry knew there were only 3 groups on the Ice at this time with female participants, he had spent time with each group before they left in order to ensure they were set up properly and more importantly, that McMurdo was set up to assist them if required. Henry knew exactly who it was and where they were located, this was going to be a bad day.

October 22 2008, 4 AM.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Col Mayor addressed the investigation board, "we are all here to verify the events as best as we know them concerning project 08/445 which was to investigate the appearance of an opening newly discovered beneath the Ice of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Since we heard the transmission coming through on the satellite feed and verified by one of our birds coming back from the pole we have only gotten a little more information. We have the aerial photos from another bird and thankfully we had fools with digital cameras in their pockets or we would not have gotten anything much due to our planes not being equipped with photographic equipment. The satellite will be making another pass of the target area in another hour and we will get live feed data at that time as well as a better overall look at the situation. All attempts to reach the science group on the emergency frequencies have failed. Our boys have been sent the digital recording from here as well as from the satellite data link and the C130 recorder also. From what we now know, a Janet Majors, wife of Brad majors, both of which are notable scientists in their assigned fields, were on location at the West Antarctic ice sheet when a scream was heard over the airwaves. Our bird was on scene 45 minutes later but no sign of personnel was left apart from the tents and equipment. Estimations are that the generator would have ran out of fuel some 3 hours ago if there was nobody there to fill the day tank up, if that is the case then I think we will know it as soon as the satellite passes overhead. The satellite is not equipped with the right kind of infrared detectors which can pinpoint people but our boys are certain that they can alter the data stream and images in order to get a better picture on what is happening. We have a rescue team ready to go already and are awaiting the first pictures before we send them in. I know some of you are upset that we have not sent anyone in earlier but we heard a scream and no reason has been discovered yet. Our bird will be in the air and only 5 minutes from landing when the first pictures stream down to us and we can either tell them it is a search and rescue or search and recovery missions at that time. I am not going to send both my men and civilians into a possible danger zone without facts to prepare them and if we lose 6 people to ensure the safety of the 12 who are going in to find them, then that has to be the way of it for now."

The others in the room were mostly National Science Foundation staff and representatives from the rescue team which were hired by the company overseeing the support and maintenance of the station and surrounding buildings and locations. Some of the rescue team were on the crew which staked out the location for the camp and helped to set it up only a few short days ago. They had gotten to know the team well and wanted to get out there and find them but they had to remain in the briefing area while other teams were brought back from another camp initiation farther in towards the South Pole station. There were only 7 people in the room, Mr. James spoke up. "Sir, I think that we need to let the team know what they might be getting into out there and why you have placed several armed men on board a rescue or recovery flight into an area without any known combatants. If we are to rescue or recover the team who are out there and not lose any more, we need to let them know everything that they may face out there."

"Mr. Gallagher" the commander began to address the rescue team leader. "You have trained more than my men have for the conditions that we are going to run into out there, you are more knowledgeable than any others about what we face and what it will be like if something goes wrong. You are also trained in weapons use and you are hereby being given a side arm which you will keep secreted about you at all times, there are 3 ammunition clips fully loaded which gives you some 41 rounds at your disposal. You will make sure that the last ones are for your team if needed because if something goes wrong with this mission, there will not be another until we get some more professional personnel down here to infiltrate and assess. Your men and you will have about 5 days of emergency survival gear and food and our men are 4 days out with about 2 days here to inspect equipment and get to where you are. You do the math but it is not likely that we will get there before you run out of supplies even if you spare them as much as I know that you will. You have heard the general tape we released for instructional usage but this piece was cleaned up by my people here and cleaned up more at another place that you do not need to know about, we got a copy a few hours ago and this is the first time we have played it for any one out of uniform." He hit the play button.

"Can you hear me, can you hear me coming, can you hear me running can you hear me calling…." The scream was muted this time as if the volume was adjusted or a powerful graphic equalizer had been used to take out the higher pitches that they all remembered being in the original recording, the higher pitches which denoted just how scared Janet had been by whatever had happened out there. There was something else in the recording that was hard to make out, almost a scratching sound and then a loud snap, Gallagher knew that the snap was a bone breaking, the others made guesses and their faces proved how close their guesses were. The recording stopped and another file was chosen. "This is the end of the tape with everything else cleaned off, now you can hear why this is no longer a civilian mission." The file was played and silence came from the speakers for a few seconds until the beginning of a muted scream was heard, over the scream they could hear "Guten Tag, Fraulein."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The alarm beeped, she ignored it, the alarm beeped louder, it was ignored just as surely as it was before, the alarm practically screamed and it was ignored with an equal amount of effort and energy. Barney and Frank jumped up on the pillow and it was no use trying to ignore them, they were awakened by the alarm and they wanted it shut off. They knew the only way to shut it off was to wake Catherine from her sleep and make her pay attention to them which would make her have to stop the alarm clock. She rolled over and gave each of the cats a hug and a scratch before getting out of bed and walking across the floor to where the snooze button was far enough out of reach of her hands to stop her lying around too long on the rare occasions when she could actually sleep through the night.

Her nightdress was covered quickly with cat hair as her two darlings came close by and ensured their needs were going to be taken care of first. Cat food was found, the cans opened and spilled out into the bowls while the dry food was scooped and put into separate bowls. The litter boxes were looking good for now and she would take care of them before lunchtime and again just after she finished packing and was ready to send the pair to where they would be spending the next 4 months without her, she was leaving home tonight to head to Denver, CO. It was the Start of a new phase of her life and she was going to make the most of it. Her friend Marissa and she had applied for and gotten jobs in Antarctica, they were both flying to the company headquarters tonight and she was going to take the time that was needed in order to make sure that everything was right before she left especially the darlings care arrangements.

Her Father was going to pick them up after lunch and take them to the house of a friend where they would be happy enough until she returned. She and Marissa would spend 2 days in Denver going through orientation and classes before heading to the Ice and beginning to freeze their brains out. She showered and left quickly before the cats had time to get hair all over her clothes again, she would brush them thoroughly later but for now she had to take care of something she said he would not do. She arrived at the preschool and walked down the quiet hall way, she knew the classes' very well and the teachers in each one as she was one herself until a week ago when she signed the paperwork releasing her from her duties, until she returned at least. She knocked on her door, the one that was once the door she controlled access in and out of, and waited to be told to enter by the replacement teacher who would be there for the rest of the term. She swore she would not see the children again before she left but she knew she would come back just once to promise them that she would stay in touch, send pictures and make phone calls to them, they only wanted penguins though so she told them she would have to see what she could do about that.

She walked in and all the children instantly ran to her, they knew they would not see her for some time and they all wanted one last hug and a chance to tell her where to send their penguins to. She spent an hour there and she managed to hold the tears back until she was back in her car again and out of sight of everyone else at the school. Her past was over and her new life lay ahead. Catherine went and had lunch in her favorite place with her family and took some time to say so long to them before heading home and ensuring the cats were brushed and ready to go in their cages for transportation. She gave the cats more of a bath than a brushing, her tears flowed like rain and she was thinking of how she could stay and not go but she knew that she had gotten the job and was going to do what she had promised to. It would not be easy to walk away even for a short time and she was still brushing when her dad arrived and walked in, he looked at her a while before letting her know he was there. They laughed at the scene for a moment before she picked the cats up and placed them in the carry cages, they were not happy but there was not much choice in it for them. 20 minutes later and she was all alone in her little home, she had everything packed but went through her two bags one more time, she had known people who were there before and gotten the real information as to what was required to bring and what would be best to bring. Her Halloween costume had been the first thing packed and then some formal wear. She already knew that she would get all of her extreme cold weather ECW gear when she got there and would not have to bring much with her which saved on packing and posting of things to herself down there. She was ready, she called Marissa and as always Marissa did not answer, she left a voice mail and went to put her bags in the car. Catherine would pick Marissa up and they would meet with a friend who would take her car back from the airport to her Moms place when they had left, all was ready, all but Catherine.

Marissa did not need an alarm clock; she did not need to rest much and always seemed to have more energy than others could believe. She was ready to go, 2 small bags were packed and her art equipment had already been shipped the day before. She did not go in to work to say farewell,  
everybody there knew she was going and she had nothing there that required her to go back. She was smoking and looking at her fun area which was filled with canvas's and paints and wondering if she should put sheets over them or allow the dust to settle and see what kind of effect it would give if they just sat here for 4 months without attention. She finished her smoke and picked her bags up, the phone rang almost an hour ago which meant that Catherine would be close by and waiting for her to come out. As she emerged from her front door and into the street she saw Catherine coming around the corner of her street and begin slowing down, there were no parking spaces but that was ok as it would only take a few seconds for Marissa to throw her things in the car and they would be gone. It took them another forty five minutes to find their friend and an hour after that they were at the airport and on their way. They had two days of orientation in Denver and then it was down to New Zealand for a day of gathering ECW gear and heading down to the Ice in a luxurious C17 cargo plane used now for ferrying people to and from the Ice.

Some were still flown in the older C130 planes but these days it was about getting people down there fast and this was late in the season for anyone to be heading down but a recent spate of illnesses and people returning home had caused a dramatic shortage of workers and another twenty who did not make the initial cut had been called in. All had accepted the offer immediately for the chance to live and work in the great white ice sheet, the largest, coldest, most remote and driest continent of all or as some called it, the Big Dead Place. It was going to be tough being there so late in the season and with only a short time before the season ended and they would either sign up for and hope to get a winter over job and remain or leave and be fairly certain of a good chance of getting back the following year and doing a full season. Denver was going to be nice and quick but not getting to meet any other Ice workers until they got down there would be hard on them in terms of fitting in though they were all assured that things would go well for them and they would settle in without trouble at all.

Susan was in a rush, she had to pack her things, make sure her new husband was prepared with all the contact numbers and addresses as well as all the information for the children's health and welfare so he could make sure that her babies were taken care of during her short stay away. They had wanted to have a child but Susan wanted to see some of the world first and then have another child and this was her last chance to see somewhere different and unique. She was looking forward to it while at the same time being heartbroken at the thoughts of leaving her kids for 3 months even though there would be phones and internet. It was not nearly the same as being there in person and able to not only give but also to receive hugs and kisses whether they were needed or not. She had to be strong now and show a brave face, she held her tears back as she walked out of her bedroom after checking on the packing one last time to ensure she had everything that she had been told she would need for the flight down and her short stay there. It would only be for twelve to sixteen weeks but it already felt like an eternity for her and she had not even left yet.

She walked out of her bedroom and saw the look in the eyes of her daughter and they both broke down in tears and sobs. It was not going to be easy and it was not going to be smooth but they both knew that they would soon be holding each other once more. Once she was back there would be no more separations until her children were going to college and she already knew that by that time she was going to be well and truly ready for a little trip somewhere once more. She stood up and took her first child by the hand and asked for her help in bringing the bags to the car. It was only Starting and the days would drag by so slowly but she was ready for the leaving though and the faster she got away the faster she could get there and Start enjoying the experience and think of getting back to her babies arms.

Kay was taking things easy as she had everything under control and was absolutely certain as to where everything was and in which bag. She had spent the night before with her whole family and her husband had taken their daughter off for the day so that the parting would be less traumatic for them all. She looked out the window at the garden, the little hooch and patch where they had spent many hours playing with their little pet rabbit and where she had sometimes gone just to sit and think. Her mind was made up before she applied and when she was refused the chance to go she accepted that it was not meant to be and she went on with her regular routine. When she was called again and asked if she was still interested in going to the Ice she thought about it for a barely a second before replying that she would. Her family were unhappy with her deciding such a thing without consulting with them but they understood that the recruiter needed an instant answer and she had to give one, they had already accepted that she wanted to go down there and it was simply a matter of timing that had changed and nothing else. Her concentration was interrupted by the ringing of the bell, her friend had come to take her to the airport and she put her bags in the trunk, got in and mentally waved farewell to her home for 4 months.

Jimmy arrived at the airport on time and unhurried, he was in Atlanta airport and was walking to the small commuter people mover systems that the airport used to ferry passengers around the various terminals. He walked down the stairs instead of taking the escalator as he knew he would have to get back in shape once more and the stairs were a small thing but every little helped. He was not very happy about it but he had made a choice and it was going to be upheld no matter what. Jimmy had just come in from Iraq where he had worked for three years, he mailed all his effects to the Ice already and had only a few things packed in a carryon bag along with his computer and external hard drives. He had been traveling for overseas work for some 6 years now and knew how to pack light, what to bring and how to get around airports, he also knew exactly what to bring for living and working on the Ice as he had been there for 2 seasons previously before so he could try something new in Iraq. He had left a country where temperatures were currently in the high 140F region and in about 4 days from now he would be enduring, once again, temperatures ranging from -10F to as low as wind chills of -50F which put his temperature change at almost 190F in a week. He chose to walk down to the terminal that his flight was due to leave from in two hours from now, he looked at the bars, the newsstands and the gift shops but he had no time for wasting and no interest in browsing. He had lived with virtually nothing in the way of entertainment for two years in the desert and he needed nothing that these stores had to offer, he walked on knowing that his computer in his backpack held more than three hundred electronic books and he had enough battery power to last well into the flight to Denver. "Here you go again, idiot." He thought as he walked down the walkway that would bring him to the correct terminal in about twenty five minutes leaving him enough time to catch something quick to eat and get some e-mails sent out, "No matter where I go and what I am doing, things never change"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mike Gallagher had been through a lot in his life and he was ready for anything. He and 3 others of his team were Ice veterans and the 2 new members came from areas he knew well and more importantly, they knew well also, this proved that they were professionals and not just people who worked and wanted the easy life sitting around in the snow and impressing the women. He looked around at his team and wondered if he was right in his actions. They were escorting a team of airmen into the WAIS area where the plane would land and keep its engines running as the rescue team laid out a safe route from the farthest end of the runway back to the base camp. The main dangers were  
crevasses and time. Time was always a factor to be included on the Ice, people still set glasses of water out and watched as water evaporated and froze at the same time, bets were taken as to what would happen first, the water completely evaporate or freeze. Some days the wind was so strong and cold that spit would go from body temperature to a lump of ice before it hit the ground. On the Ice, life is a deadline. Mike was taking 2 of his team with him, he would lead and Joanne would take the rear, they had worked together for 3 years and he trusted her fully. Between them would be Luke who was new to the Ice but seemed to be able to handle himself well. Luke was 6' 3" and built like a tank whereas Mike was only 5' 10" and built slim enough to slip into cracks only 7" wide, something that was beneficial at times in crevasse rescues as it allowed more warm clothing to be worn while remaining able to enter tight spaces. Joanne was the oldest of the first group but at only 31 she was hardly old and her tight body showed the hours she spent working out and training on the CO mountain ranges.

Team 2 was to foray in a different direction and secure a safe route for troops to enter the base camp from another direction, a pincer movement made agonizingly slow due to the probing and testing of Ice strength as they progressed. Frank Dearborn led this group and even though he was older and more experienced than Mike, he was happy to be second in command as it allowed him to do the real leadership work while Mike was busy in meetings and filling out paperwork. Mike told Frank daily how much he hated him for not fighting harder to be the lead, Frank loved smiling at Mike and seeing him cringe at the thought of all the paperwork and hours and for only $15 a week extra.

Frank had the other new member to the team, a youthful but hardy Aussie woman called Sam who seemed to live in a freezer in her spare time, Sam showered with cold water all the time and was likely to be seen near naked in weather that even Frank would not walk around in without thermals. The end of the safety line was held by Buddy, it was his second season on the Ice and he was familiar with how things worked here and had proven himself reliable already, it looked like next year would be a good year with no new people if they could ensure Sam and Luke would return and that looked promising.10 armed airmen would accompany each team. A regular 6 man team was proposed but the extra members were electronics experts who were to recover the hard drives and an investigator was included to try and discover what had happened to the science team. Sharpshooters were going to remain with the C-130 in order to provide covering fire if required, though they were not snipers it did not matter at ranges of less than 300 yards which was where the aircraft would be located from the base camp.

The C-130 was still 10 minutes from the landing area. Mike inspected the equipment one last time, he knew Frank had packed everything and that it would be perfect but as he was the leader it was his ultimate responsibility to ensure everything was not the way it was supposed to be but the way it would be needed to be. All was in order, Mike looked over his team and the airmen seated along the web  
seats on both sides and the centerline of the airframe. Time itself seemed to be moving faster than  
normal but still having trouble keeping up with his stomach, he had recovered bodies before in his  
career but he had never been on a mission which may have been a deliberate murder before. Frank  
was older and ex military, he had come from the mountains and grew up with snow and lost fools. The  
other members varied in experience and exposure but each had been briefed as to the worst to  
expect and had still volunteered to come for the ride. 5 minutes left and time to buckle in for a fast and  
hard landing.

Capt. Johnson brought the plane came in high and steep in a hot zone landing, twisting and throwing the airframe through the skies to escape stray shots and make any enemies aim a matter of pure luck. The pilots flared out quickly before hitting the Ice, something extremely hard to manage when there is no height reference to judge altitude by, and brought the behemoth down with a noticeable bump but no damage or injuries. The loadmaster had the rear ramp opening while the airplane was still powering down the side of the runway. The teams had all gathered before taking off and the site layout was examined, the worry was a simple one, the best way to disable a craft as large and heavy as a C-130 was to dig divots out of the Ice and let the undercarriage be ripped off on landing. The make shift runway was mapped with GPS down to less than an inch and this allowed the pilots to take risks not normally taken outside of active war zones. The port landing gear was inches from where the starboard gear would normally be and it was almost a perfect landing until the plane was half way down the strip and the reverse thrust shrouds were brought up to redirect the engines power forward instead of to the rear. This method was standard in order to bring the plane to rest as fast as possible while still keeping the engines at full power. The snow was starting to swirl about the cockpit windows and reduced visibility to almost nothing but that served further to hide sensitive spots which others may shoot at. The plane was finally beginning to decelerate noticeably when the jolt was felt.

"We got a port gear pressure warning light." Capt. Johnson shouted into his microphone, "Looks like we were right to avoid the main part of the runway, we lost two tires on the port wing but we seem to have enough capabilities to let off. We will have to reach the far end and turn around, get everyone loaded and ready to return fire NOW"

The loadmaster ordered 4 airmen to load weapons and guard the rear door before he leaned out and around the fuselage in order to visually inspect the blown out tires and runway conditions. He was looking out when he felt the jolt and knew what had happened already, the large patch of blood stated where they had ran over either something laying on top of the snow which was unlikely not to be seen, or something buried just below the surface, something like an attacker laying in wait to spring an ambush. The plane was traveling slowly enough now for a safe inspection to be conducted and another crew member was un-dogging the forward port access door to begin inspections from the front of the plane. It only took a few seconds to verify that the damage was minimal and would not cause any major troubles for lifting off. The report was sent to the cockpit and the rest of the troops were ordered to prepare to debark as soon as the loadmaster raised his hands in the air.

Mike's team were up in front of the plane for the flight, they were the most important aspect of the mission and the last to leave the airframe once the airmen had ensured the landing zone was secured. Seatbelts were unsnapped all through the cabin and weapons were checked one last time to ensure the safeties were still on until they reached the rear door ramp. The first shooters to approach the ramp were the team's sharpshooters who would take up positions on either side of the plane to provide covering fire for the exit. 20 seconds passed and the call came in over the radio set that the area was secured and it was time for the pathfinders to do their job. Mike gave the signal and everyone picked up their route marking flags and headed out, the day was mild and the wind was light but Mike had never felt as cold as he did right now.

Mike exited and headed for the left, or port, side of the airframe, he looked back and saw the loadmaster and other crewman looking over the landing gear, it looked a mess but they did not seem too concerned and he took that as a good sign. Mike gave the signal to move out and watched as Frank repeated the signal and made sure everyone was ready. The specially manufactured rope which held the scout team together was designed not to freeze up at extreme low temperatures and also to retain flexibility and strength. The 3 members of the team were tied with 5 meters of distance between them, this would allow them assist each other if one fell through a crevasse as well as being far enough so only one was likely to fall. They could all see the large red area of snow where the undercarriage had been damaged, it was on the side that Frank was going to scout and he could see all the airmen on Frank's team pay special attention to the spot which was a bad thing as it would prevent them from watching for other possible attacks. Frank was quick and direct; he slapped the first and biggest member of the escort group in the face and ordered him to pay attention to the places where the attackers were not already dead but waiting. Mike smiled slightly at the old Marine before he moved out. It would likely take 20 minutes to get to the base camp, the whole area had already been mapped for crevasses earlier in the season when the camp was first set up but with such a large crevasse so close by it was safe to inspect once again though they were certain no natural dangers lay ahead of them.

Frank was not happy, he had chosen to take the Marissaboard side when they felt the jolt and knew the wheels on the Port side had run into something. He was trained to deal with many things and he had been armed before the flight but had to hide the weapon from the rest of the team in order to make it look like the troops were responsible for all of the defenses. Frank's old Marine training had made him hard and sharp and right now he was feeling something that was simply not right, he took the team to the opposite side of the runway and began to mark out the safe route carefully and deliberately away from the hole they had hit earlier. He wanted to inspect it and see what or who was buried there but the mission came first and getting to the camp and retrieving the data drives was the only important thing to be accomplished. He knew that he would have to move faster if they were to get to the base camp at the same time or before Mike's team but his training had prepared him to ignore the competition and simply do his job right and get there when they got there. There was no reason to look in the hole, if whoever was in there had survived the impact, they would not live long and the crew had no medical equipment which could save anyone who had lost the amount of blood they could see on the snow. If the occupant was still a danger, the sharpshooters would take them out before they could do anything to anyone.

18 minutes passed slowly and Frank looked across the field to see Mike look back at his team and nod, the 2 team leaders raised their hands and swept them forward, the airmen now knew there was little or no danger left and they were now in charge of the mission. 4 airmen ran to the main tent, 2 took covering positions while the others entered, a quick motion brought the tech specialists forward and they began stripping everything they thought they would require and placing it into their backpacks. The other airmen wanted to branch out and inspect the other tents but the data was the only important thing at this point. The techs left the tent quickly and were escorted back towards the plane along the flagged route by the team mates who had provided cover positions. The rest of the group could now begin the tasks of inspecting the other tents, there were not many and it took only 4 minutes for them to complete the task and verify what was suspected, nobody was left above ground and no trace of fighting was found. Everything was cold, everything was quiet, and everything was dead.

Mike and Frank were now walking together and Mike wanted to use the path he had made to return to the plane, he now wanted to see what was in the hole they had it and if they could bring the remains back to McMurdo for examination. Frank told him that it was not wise to be in one group, he would take his airmen back that way while his team went with Mike back along his route, they had already flagged the route and could now look for more soft spots that could impact the liftoff. Mike was unhappy but agreed with the logic and sense of the plan. Frank set off right away and Mike had everyone moving a second later. Everyone ran as fast as conditions allowed, he could see that the plane had turned around already and was ready to leave as soon as they arrived. Mike looked and saw Frank's team looking into the small hole that had so nearly ruined their landing and trapped them here. Frank's team crept forward slowly and with weapons aimed towards the hole, they stood for a second before Frank called over the radio. "This is the oddest thing guys, we have a naked man here who seems to have been hidden here for a while but still has liquid blood instead of Ice and more unbelievable, is still alive." Mike was about to advise using caution when he saw one airman lean down and reach into the hole and disappear in the flash of an eye. Screams rang out from the group and Frank was suddenly armed and firing into the hole, 3 other holes suddenly erupted along edge of the runway, Frank was on one knee and firing, the airmen had formed a defensive circle and covering all approaches but they were slow to react, something was not right. Mike looked once again and saw what was so wrong, the attackers were all naked and armed only with knives but more than that, they were being shot and it was having no effect on them.

Mike was about to run towards Frank but he was grabbed from behind and shoved forcefully forward toward the plane. He could not stop running once he began and in seconds they were all boarding the craft, he looked back once more and saw Frank and 2 more airmen left shooting. Frank was taking head shots and they were affecting the attackers at last but only for a few seconds, the sharpshooters were taking leg shots which kept the attackers down for a longer time but they were always able to stand up once more and attack once again. Mike called over the radio but Frank was too busy to reply. Mike was thrown into the plane cabin and found everyone else in there already, the loadmaster hit the ramp switch and shouted into his radio to the cockpit, Mike felt the plane slowly gather speed and then accelerate faster than he thought something this size was capable of. Nobody was strapped in and Mike ran to the starboard windows but he had not gotten half way there before they were sprayed red with flying blood, Mike could not know what had happened but his stomach suddenly felt tight in a way that had nothing to do with the drastic rise of the C-130. Holes began appearing in the fuselage but Mike was oblivious, he had just lost his friend and being shot held no fear for him right now.

5 minutes passed and Mike was suddenly aware of someone facing him, the pilot had come back to the cabin and stood facing him now. "I am sorry," He said. "There was nothing I could do and Frank knew it, he waved us forward and saluted as we approached, he knew there was little chance of us rescuing him and he knew that if we failed to get the hard drives back that the mission and his life would have been worth nothing. You did everything that you could and were allowed to, your mission now is to return and pass on everything that you discovered there. You hate me and I understand that but you now have a bigger job, to do what Frank would have wanted you to do." The pilot turned and walked to the cockpit once more, Mike noticed nothing for the rest of the flight back to McMurdo.

McMurdo, same time

Col Mayor was in the main room and listening to the pilots report through the computer speakers. He was watching the near live satellite feed being sent from Washington, the landing was timed to coordinate with a spy satellite overpass for extra coverage but the satellite would not be in position for the whole time of the mission and it was decided that the end was more important than the Start. The satellite was a secondary relay to the C-130 radio suite in case something happened to the airframe on landing. The images were 14 minutes old and showed the group approaching the tents, retrieving the hard drives and inspecting the rest of the camp. Col Mayor could see Frank talking with Mike and  
was furious that he would no longer be able to swap old war stories with the old guy.

The images changed slightly as the satellite passed closer and began distancing itself once again. The return was smooth and textbook until the secondary smaller group approached the collapsed hole and the airman reached down, even as clear as the image was it was impossible to see what happened next. The airman seemed to disappear instantly as if a black hole had opened up and swallowed him but a spurt of fresh blood was seen spraying from the hole for an instant before all hell broke loose. Frank could be seen taking charge as expected and setting everyone in their defensive positions to defend the group from the new attackers which were popping up from the snow. Blood could easily be seen spraying from the attackers but none seemed to be falling from the shots, head shots slowed them down but they recovered again in a few seconds. The sharpshooters shots could be seen hitting the legs and knocking the attackers to the snow for about 12 seconds each but it was too late, they were already within reaching distance to Frank's group and a hand now shot out of the original hole and grabbed another airman and pulled him in. The final shots showed a grisly scene as arms reached out with lightening speed and accuracy, blood and bodies fell and the last images were of Frank and 2 others firing and fighting until the last second when they all turned and saluted the oncoming plane. The images video showed the plane changing course slightly and lining up an engine with the struggling group, instants later and everything was a blur of mist and limbs. Col Mayor asked for the last few seconds to be replayed, he looked closer and expanded the view slightly. He played it a few times before he was satisfied and called the communications specialist over. It took a few more seconds but they were able to verify that Frank was holding the transmit button down on his radio mike as he fired. There was no audio track so far but the satellite was not able to monitor radios on the frequencies they were using. The C-130 had recorders on board for all transmissions. There was nothing they could do now but wait for it to return and feed everything into the computers. Everyone crossed their fingers that they hard drives they were sent to rescue were not damaged by the cold and that that could be recovered, if they had lost so many people for nothing, there would be heads rolling for it.

The phone rang, it was Washington, Col Mayor dismissed everyone else and lifted the receiver. He listened for several seconds and nodded slowly. "Yes Sir. I will make all preparations and standby as instructed." He replied and hung up the phone. Washington had also viewed the satellite feed and they were disturbed, they were taking over the operations and sending their specialists down that morning. They would be on site in 3 days and nobody was to approach the camp until then, all materials were to be personally secured by Col Mayors as soon as the plane touched down and the plane and crew were to be flown to New Zealand and the remaining personnel brought to the consulate immediately. His day had just gotten a lot worse and there was nothing he could do now but watch the video loop play back the last moments of Frank's life and wait the 5 hours for the C-130 to land again and then it had an 8 hour flight north.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

October 25th 2009; Denver, CO. The hotel was not far from the offices of the company which ran the maintenance and care of the McMurdo station and the South Pole as well as various other camps throughout the continent. A number of people had arrived last night and Jimmy could see the new arrivals instantly. "Never changes, no matter what the year is or where they come from, the always have that same look of hope and blind excitement on their faces." He thought as he ate breakfast and tried not to look like someone there to prepare to go to the Ice. "I do not believe I am here again, I leave a nice isolated living container with my own shower and bathroom in order to come back here to go back there and work for 50% of what I was making and having to share a room with someone else and then share the toilets and showers with up to 16 other men in the same dorm, I must be mad or stupid. I go from being in a dry country with no alcohol to be had, unless you ask the right people, to a place where drinking is a pastime and almost a sport for some. I am leaving a hot and stunning environment in order to go where everything is white and drab and you cannot see anything because of the water freezing up in your eyes when you take your goggles off for more than a few moments. At least I am not dumb enough to be headed to the Pole, those fools earn no more and have less even than we have and they are welcome to it."

Jimmy looked up at the clock, it was about to begin and he could see the company representative in the hotel lobby. There was only a few more seconds left before the others in the group knew that he was also one of them and might want to talk with him and once they found out that he was a returning worker he was sure that they would think he was the ultimate guide to everything and anything to do with the Ice and the people who went there for whatever insane reason they had. Jimmy saw some other old timers in the group and he recognized John right away, they had worked together for 2 seasons on the Ice but John had taken this year off so that he could remain in the States and get some things dealt with. John saw Jimmy right away and also understood the look in his eyes. John made a mark on the clip board he was carrying and Jimmy slipped out of the dining area without being noticed by any of the Fingies, which stood for "Fucking New Guys, of which there seemed to be a number around him. They were sporting their colorful luggage tags on their little bags as if it were a badge of unity or courage instead of just being a way for old timers to know who you were and be able to avoid you until the very last moment. John and the Human Resources worker entered into the dining room and called for those going to the Ice. There was a clash as people hurried to finish up their food, grab something to eat on the short bus ride and moving their chairs and baggage all at one time. This was going to be interesting. Jimmy looked at the bus pulling up to the front door; he walked out and hailed a cab.

As the cab pulled up outside of the non distinct grey building on an equally non distinct grey street of other grey buildings, Jimmy looked out at the familiar grounds and walls that he had seen a few times already. He knew what lay ahead and how frustrating that it would be as well as how long the flight would be when all was said and done. 3 hours from Denver to Los Angeles and then another 12 hours from Los Angeles to northern New Zealand and then another 2 hours flying from there to Christchurch on the southern island before the 6 hour flight to the Ice itself a day or two later. That did not include layovers and stoppages and if there were any delays it would only get worse.

As he exited the cab he could hear the shuttle bus coming up the road, he did not have to wait long to see it but he was already stepping in through the door he knew would be the right one to enter through. He put his bag in the corner, went to the table and signed in, took his name tag and put it in his pocket and then walked down the hall into the briefing room. Jimmy estimated that it was going to take the others at least ten minutes before they got everything done and dealt with and found the room, that was ten more minutes that he could be alone and not have to deal with being a part of this community once more. He was beginning to curse the vow he made to leave Iraq because things were getting too dangerous there and someone special to him had asked him to seek a job somewhere else. He made the vow and had begun seeking work the very next day, his eyes were drawn to more overseas work and because of his past experience he was contacted by the old company and asked if he wanted to go back again. That was 5 days ago and he sat there now in the briefing room wondering what the next five hours were going to bring, he dreaded the thought of the next five days and refused his mind whatsoever to think of the next five months.

This was one of a few stopgap measures that were designed so that he could do something easy and have all the time he needed in order to plan his next move and determine what place on the planet he would go to work in next. Normal work held no challenge for him and staying where things were normal meant boredom beyond sufferance. Time had passed very quickly or the group was either very proficient or was being rushed through the procedures in order to get them in their seat faster, Jimmy thought the latter was the most correct guess. He could hear the feet coming down the hall and the only thing that made it better was the fact that he recognized the voice of the Human Resources lady who was likely leading the group here right now. It had to be Cecelia who he knew from working on the Ice some years ago and had always been a joy to be around. He smiled as Cecelia walked through the doors and stopped suddenly when she realized that the briefing room was not empty. She saw Jimmy and laughed, came over and hugged him to the amazement of the Fingies who had just been warned about being too forward and informal with people and now they were watching the HR lady hug someone she had not even said hello to. Jimmy thought "Well, something that Starts out this good and enjoyable can't really be all that bad can it"

Cecelia looked around and with a great smile addressed the group of Fingies. "Everyone, this is Jimmy and if you need to know anything at all about the Ice or especially MacTown, this is the man to talk to" She said as she walked back to the lecture at the front of the room.

Jimmy sat down. "Fuck" he thought.

14 hours of classes over 2 days were bad enough especially since nothing had changed in the preceding 2 years that Jimmy had been away. He made Cecelia suffer for her remark about him being the one to talk to. He had no interest in being asked questions about anything by anybody and he knew that he was now the official source of news and truth about the place with more rumors and stories created per square foot than any other land mass. Cecelia was trying to be sweet to the Fingies but she had placed Jimmy right in the middle of being everybody's new friend, she was going to pay for that. Jimmy knew what the briefing entailed and how it was going to be conducted and he used his knowledge of such to make Cecelia's day a nightmare. After being asked 25 questions in 3 classes she looked at Jimmy and made a gesture which at the same time said she was sorry and that he better stop or she was going to have her husband and several close friends beat him to a pulp. It was a gesture only the Irish had mastered and she had mastered it well. Jimmy quieted down. Catherine, Marissa, Susan and Kay had begun talking immediately after meeting at the hotel. Catherine's red hair and short stature and Marissas looks gave them away as having some Irish blood in them and Kay and Susan were of Irish decent also. The four women were an instant clan and even the hard to reach Marissa opened up just a little more than usual and contributed to the chat. The next morning they all ate together and sat close by each other all through the briefings and supper that night. Within one day they had become almost a core family and struck a strong bond together, a bond that would be tested and proven in the days that lay ahead.

The gals had found out a lot of information on their own and they were now ready to find out the truth, Catherine looked down a corridor and nodded her head. Marissa smiled and looked at Susan who said "4", Kay raised her hands and waved off participation in this lunatic scheme but she was going to enjoy it as far as she could. Marissa walked down the corridor and opened the fifth door she came to and walked in."Hi, I'm Marissa and I am trying to get some real answers instead of the generic shite being thrown at us by the company reps. Can you let us know what the hell is going on there and what we are going to run into or do I have to start opening random doors throughout the whole building up to the top floor?" She asked. "We are not mushrooms so don't try to keep us in the dark and feed us shite." She said with conviction.

John sat there and laughed, he enjoyed order and structure from his days in the Navy but he also loved seeing young spirit and directness. John smiled at Marissa and nodded his head to Jimmy who was also sitting at the table, "He will be out of here in 10 minutes and is the expert on the Ice or hadn't Cecelia told you guys already?" John could hardly contain his laughter as Jimmy grew red and wide eyed at his being volunteered as spokesman for a place he didn't even want to go back to. Marissa merely looked and walked out of the room again. John turned serious once more, "Sorry Jimmy, we know that we can trust you and that you will do what you can to take care of these kids as well as deal with the rumors that are going to be floating around even before they get to the Ice itself. Nobody wants anyone to know what happened there but you are an old timer and deserve to know the truth, it may also help you control the rest of the group on the way down there." He said seriously. "We know that the science group disappeared without a trace except for the radio transmission. The rescue team barely made it out and Mike is still in shock, you knew him from your time there and how nice a guy he was but now he will not eat or speak due to the shock. He is being flown out to New Zealand tomorrow and from there he is coming back here for evaluation and treatment. I heard this morning that he has come around a little and refuses to leave, he wants to lead another team back in there and recover Frank and the others. He knows they are dead but he wants the bodies taken back for their families and it looks like he may have to be subdued in order to get him on the flight back North again. Everyone who went down there has been segregated from the general population and they are not allowed to communicate with anyone outside of the military. We have nothing to go on other than fragments and fears right now but it appears as if someone was waiting for the rescue team to arrive, and they were able to kill 5 of the members, including Frank who was an ex Marine and able to take on anyone at any time. The company is making an announcement later today; you are going to have to take the helm on this and run interference with the Fingies, we can't have panic and information breaking out but you have to be ready for the worst in case someone gets word out on what really happened there." John looked at the clock and waved to the door, Jimmy knew the next briefing was Starting and the girl called Marissa would be standing outside the door and waiting to begin the grilling. Jimmy kept his mouth shut but his state spoke volumes, he did not sign up to be a mouthpiece for the company but he knew how important it was to maintain order.

Sharla had just finished a slide show concerning wage issues and given out the contact cards for any troubles occurring in flight or once they got to the Ice. She looked at the clock and made a phone call before packing the last of her materials into her presentation satchel. The door opened and Cecelia walked in with several other people, one was Mark Sebastian who was the company CEO. Cecelia made announcements and introductions and handed the microphone over to Mark. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here in the class today to bring some very bad news from the Ice. It appears that a science group went missing a few days ago. We have had no contact of late and we sent in a search and rescue mission of our own safety team as well as some of the Air Force personnel we have on base. No sign of the science group was found and we also lost several of the search team due to local conditions, the military are still investigating the matter but for now we are coping with the loss of some close friends and the possible loss of a whole science group also. I am due on the local TV news station in 25 minutes but I wanted you people here in orientation to be the first ones to know so that you can decide if you still want to go to the Ice with the knowledge you now have. We all hope you continue to want to go and help the others who are there already but we also know that people rarely want to be near places where others have died so recently. The incidents all occurred at a remote camp at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet or WAIS as we call it. We are not sending anyone else out right now to recover the bodies, they will remain preserved where they are until a full investigation team is brought down and take the lead in this matter. I am sorry to say that I do not have time for questions right now but the HR staff will answer what they can without breaching legal stipulations. We have a few returnees such as Jimmy at the back there and some others I recognize also who can give you more details about how things work down there in a little while." As Mark walked away from the podium he looked at Jimmy and smiled, he loved the shocked look on Jimmy's face. Jimmy was beginning to wonder how much worse this season could get and then he noticed the faces of the others Starting at him.

There was a brief break for people to make calls and think if they wanted to stay or go back home, everyone decided to remain with the program and keep going. Jimmy was close though and kept to himself for the rest of the day, making notes and making calls to the Ice when he could but he knew that questions would soon be coming, Sharla had come back for the days last briefing and gave out maps of the Ice and McMurdo before leaving. People were trying to locate WAIS on the maps and wondering where bodies would be brought back to and who would likely have to work in places where they may be stored or processed. Jimmy was thinking about calling a cab and getting back to eat somewhere and back to the hotel before anyone caught him, he stood up and found Marissa facing him directly in the eye. "They say you have answers and we have a lot of questions so sit back down or stand at the podium, you are not going anywhere yet." Jimmy liked this kid but he knew she was going to be a pain in the arse.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Col McMillan was unhappy, he was cold and he did not like rain but here he was at 3AM in the downpour to meet someone he had no data on. He had gotten a call from his superiors and ordered to personally download a file from a secure server, he was to burn it to a DVD and then to meet someone at a specific place at this time. This was very unusual and he had refused to comply until he was called by the President directly, he was now carrying something he had not seen and was about to give it t to someone he did not know in a place he was not familiar with. Careers ended for joking about such things, to be doing such meant not only an end to a good career but also of serious federal prison time if something went wrong. McMillan waited, there was nothing else to do and nowhere else to be, his orders were direct and implicit. He was to get there in civilian attire and wait until he was approached by someone who would know what to take. If anyone else came up and asked for anything other than a DVD they were to be dealt with quickly and with deadly force if needed. McMillan felt the weight of the sidearm under his armpit and the secondary in an ankle holster on his left foot. He did not like this but he did not like the thought of dishonorable discharge and prison time either, this was beyond top secret levels and at a level which left no paper trace, only a few phone calls and a download from a web site not linked to the defense dept in any way. The rain slowed and stopped, McMillan removed his cap and ran his hand trough his short flat top hair style; he had it cut weekly to keep it sharp and efficient. He knew something was not right though, the rain continued to fall yet he was not getting wet. He looked up and straight into eyes as black a nightmares, it took all his self control not to flinch or jump, he knew the eyes and the face they started out of, it was the most wanted person on the planet, the supposed vampire or vampire hunter according to some, it was Blade.

Blade leapt down deftly and appeared to be in several places without moving. McMillan had no time to react before Blade was standing directly in front of him and holding the DVD in his hand, McMillan had not even felt the package being taken from his pocket. Blade looked the package over and handed it back. "I don't have a DVD player with me buddy, it is something I have no need for, I am scarier than the monsters in the movies so why would I want to watch your porn? Blade asked.

"I am just a messenger and this is my message. Watch the clip and destroy it, you are not alone and that which you thought you had killed still live. I have no idea what the hell it means or why I have to be here at this time to deliver it to you but you can shove it up your ass until you can see the surface behind your eyes when you look in a mirror for all I care." McMillan replied, he was out of his comfort zone but a lifetime of training and routine had instilled in him the ability to rely on the known even in the most extreme of unknown situations.

Blade smiled, he could get to like this guy. "Well," Blade answered. "I guess it must be important if I have to destroy it after I watch it, I do not have a player and my eyes are too dark to see through so, I guess I will have to use the player in your luxury SUV. You want to Start the engine so I can have some heat while I look at the movie please and, you got any popcorn?" Blade did not try to hide his smile as McMillan strode off towards his SUV. Blade marched beside him, matching step for step and clearly relishing the rain. McMillan clicked on the remote opener and Blade was suddenly nowhere to be seen. McMillan approached the vehicle and saw Blade sitting inside and motioning for speed. "Time is  
money buddy and I am off the clock still." He said as McMillan entered and turned on the ignition. Blade put the DVD into the player and hit pause as the opening scene came on. "You know what is on this DVD?" He asked McMillan. McMillan shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Guess you don't need to know then so, get out of the theatre please. Obviously this is meant to be a private showing and I don't see your name on the list."

Blade watched as McMillan stormed away, he was not a bad guy but Blade liked to mess with people. Blade waved to him and then hit the play button. The video was short and simple, a scene of several fighters surrounded by naked attackers who were taking hits and not being stopped. Blood could be seen traveling in several directions which showed others were off screen and shooting also, most likely snipers, head and leg shots failed to stop the encroachment and the fighters knew it was a lost cause. A moment of confusion caused Blade to blink, he watched as the troops saluted to the edge of the screen and then watched as a large transport aircraft entered the field of fire and ran into the group with the propellers. The spray of blood was spectacular even from the limited quality of the video but the most important thing was the attackers, they did not vaporize into a spray of blood, they vanished in a puff of smoke, the way that Vampires did. Blade was suddenly interested. The date stamp on the corner showed the video to be only a day old, the vampires were not all wiped out with the retro virus, there were still some to be taken out and work for him to do.

Blade walked slowly up to where McMillan was waiting. "I am in. Tell them to contact my people the same way with transport details and locations. I am in and they will want to be in as well. We have a squad of 6 and myself, there will be tools and equipment to be brought as well and this looks like somewhere I cannot go alone. Make the calls today and I will be ready to ship out tonight." He said quietly. Blade was deep in thought and he was beginning to feel the blood flow in him once more, it had been quiet for too long since he had killed Drake and caused the race of vampires to die out. Several familiars had found blood samples and drank them in an attempt to become vampires but they were easy to find and destroy. They were nothing more than children dressing up in their parents clothing. Blade began walking away. "Damn," he shouted. "I forgot to destroy the DVD after I watched it." He picked a device from his pocket and pushed the button on the top. McMillan's SUV erupted in flames from the back seat, the engine compartment went up like a rocket as the large battery was heated and ignited and caused a secondary explosion. Oil and hydraulic fluids went next which sent fragments of hot steel in many directions including the fuel tank which went up brightly and sent a shockwave out so powerful that it knocked McMillan off his feet. When he stood up again he was alone, Blade was nowhere to be seen and the only thing to prove this nightmare was real was the large piece of metal that had once been the best perk his rank could give. He pulled out his cell phone and made a call, this was going to be hard to explain to the accident investigators and he was not sure if he was going to get any help from those who had called him earlier and began this disaster. He relayed Blade's message and a situation report concerning his vehicle, it was going to be taken care of and he was to take a week off for medical reasons, by then it would be all over, they hoped.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

October 27th 2009. McMurdo Station. Everyone was waiting for the report, an all hands meeting was called for and all team leaders were informed that names would be taken and anyone seen not to be there would be called in and counseled. This was a meeting that was of the greatest importance and instead of being held in the galley as usual it was to be held in the large gym at the bottom end of town. It was one of only a small number of buildings that was large enough to hold so many people at one time as well as one that was easily cleared out and made ready for such a large meeting. Communications personnel were exempt, they were already aware of most of the discussion though they were to maintain an open phone line to the gym and listen in, a few others were busy with essential tasking but most of the 820 people in McMurdo were now crammed in and around the meeting space. The phone lines were active and the speakers connected to the line, people were more concerned with the Halloween party that would be held in this hall in just a few days time. The Voice of Mark Sebastian came through loud and clear.

"Ladies and gentlemen in McMurdo, Pole, Parmer and anywhere else you can receive this radio call. I wish I was addressing you in better circumstances but as you are all aware already, we have had the Ice on communications lockdown for some hours now and we are finally able to brief you all on what has being happening over the past few days and especially yesterday's events which rumors are most certainly rampant about by now." His voice boomed out from his office in CO but it was obvious that he was tired and stressed. "I am sorry to say that our first science group to the WAIS has been lost without trace, we sent a rescue mission out to search but the team was unable to find any traces of the group at the base camp or nearby. The search was done quickly and only the essential hard drives were taken back for examination. The flight came back to the Ice runway and was refueled and sent North immediately with all crew still aboard, our search and rescue teams are now in New Zealand and helping with plans to insert a larger team to investigate the site more fully. I am sorry to say that not all of the team members returned, we lost one of our own and several Air Force personnel and I would like to ask you all to share a moments silence for Frank Cross and those airmen who did not return. You are going to see some armed troops moving into McMurdo over the coming days, they will be there for only a short time before deploying to the remote site and taking over the search and retrieval operations there. We all know that Life on the Ice is hard and sometimes cruel and anyone who wishes to resign their position can be assured that we will return you home as soon as possible but for now we ask that you continue with your work and try to assist the military in whatever manner you can over the coming days. The Halloween party will still go ahead and we believe it very important in these times that you all have a chance to let off steam in a communal atmosphere such as the event is known to bring. We are sending grief counselors to the Ice already and they should be there very soon, we know how much Frank was a part of everyday life on the Ice and how many people were friends of his. Human Resources have more details for you all and we shall keep you updated through the company e-mail system as we find more information out. Thank you all for your time and now, if I may ask that we share a moment of silence for those remaining forever on the Ice."

Silence fell over the group, the moment seemed to last forever and even after the phone connection had been terminated there were still many who were unable to move or do anything but stare. People began leaving the gym and returning to work but they all knew that little was going to get done that day. Phone calls, e-mails and blogs were all that people were thinking about, some were thinking of news networks to look up as soon as communications came back again and try to find more information out that way, some just found their friends and walked in silence. The Peer Counselor group was pressed into service, a volunteer group who received basic training in crisis management and was a resource for those having a tough time for whatever reason. Supervisors called their people in for extra information distribution on a small scale so they could monitor the reactions of the workers and the bars were ordered closed for the night so people would be less likely to get into trouble. Pagers began sounding off in the crowd and workers began looking for phone lines to call back on, various buildings surrounded the big gym but they would all be in use right now and everyone began splitting up more. Some recognized the extensions they were to call back and decided to walk there instead of waiting for a phone line to open up. Nichole and Patty had been walking together in silence when their pagers rang. They looked and saw that they were to call the same extension. Patty knew the number was in the Chalet, the wooden structure built on the hill overlooking the gym and used by the NSF and maintenance company managers as well as the official welcoming point for all dignitaries and visitors to the base. They were going to the offices of the base leaders and that was never good news for cargo manifest managers.

The 2 women walked up the steep incline to the base of the hill on which the Chalet was perched, the flags of the nations who signed the Antarctic Treaty flapped at half mast and the large windows looked sad in the strong sun, as if the building itself felt the pain of those around and within it. Nichole was cargo coordinator for the South Pole as well as several outer camps and she knew the rescue team well from the manifests of materials they had to bring to the Pole for exercises and training as well as her years on the Ice in various roles. Patty had taken a break but had come back to the Ice after a few years away as cargo coordinator for the flights to and from New Zealand. She was to ensure things got to the Ice and were packed correctly and sent to the proper building according to whether the equipment was to be stored in a warmed room, stored in freezing conditions or sent elsewhere immediately. They had worked together some years previously and they lived close to each other in the States. They knew that some large equipment must be coming down soon, the arrival of Big Mac, the heavy equipment supervisor, confirmed that cargo was coming and priorities were about to change.

Mac came up and hugged the women; he was on his first year but had worked with them both over the last few weeks and knew them well. He opened the door and the walked in to find out what was going to happen next, they knew it was not going to mean easy nights or time off. The Chalet was so hectic that it was almost frantic. People and papers were flying through the small and usually quiet building, something was going on that was far bigger than they had been told about and they were beginning to get the knot of trepidation in their stomachs. Paul Scott emerged from his office and saw them, he ushered them all into the main conference room which overlooked the bay through large picture windows which were not very efficient but this was the building for showing things off and not for being conservative. Paul did not even wait for them to sit down before he began, "I am not going to waste time here, we are getting specialized equipment and people coming down in the next 3 days. You are all going to work as required and get things where they are supposed to be going and when they are called for, do not expect too many interruptions but keep your pagers with you even in the shower and always with a fresh battery in them. There is no time off for you or your departments and if that is going to be an issue I need to know right now so that I can have you replaced for the duration of this  
emergency and then have you take over again once things have passed. There will be no repercussions on any of you if you want to back out but we need to know that if you are going to do it, you are in it the whole way." He ended and waited for a reaction, he got nods from everyone and he made sure the door was closed fully before he opened up several folders and gave each of them a list of items that were scheduled to arrive, how they were to be stored and how close to the flight line they were to be kept. Patty could see that 2 planes would be required to bring all the equipment and at least one portable building would need to be brought to the Ice runway for storage of the more critical items on the list. Mac knew he would have to have 2 heavy equipment operators working on this load for a few hours each time and a crew to unload the flight pallets into piles that would remain on the runway and the rest which would be brought in to town. Nichole saw that she would be coordinating the flights to and from the WAIS area and would be using a variety of craft, another C-130 was being flown in and some modifications were to be made as well as the regular C-130 flights to and from the Pole station. She would be taking care of this aspect as the others would be busy and she had more experience with coordination than either of them. It was about to get very busy and they were now in a race against space and time.

Patty left and began making plans for storage with Mac. He had some people who he could get to clear areas for pallets and get the warm building out to the runway that day so it would be warmed before the equipment arrived. Patty went to clear more room in other buildings and set up labor teams for unpacking and repacking pallets specified in her paperwork. Nichole walked to her office which was in the other direction, she had scheduling to do and people at the Pole to talk with so that they were aware of the overlaps in flight coverage and what they had to get ready for emergency landings there if the plane could not return to McMurdo. Modifications were going to have to be made, she sent out e-mails to the electricians and welder as well as the labor crew leader, this was going to be an unheard of amount of work in a short time but the Ice made people do the impossible before Lunch so that they could enjoy the views in the evenings. She called the on duty staff at building 202 which was the billeting for the aircraft maintenance personnel from the 109TH NY Air National Guard. She would need them to verify the specs she received were possible and that they had the same information and were going to approve the modifications to the airframe which was their responsibility. She had never heard of any aircraft being modified on site in the history of the Ice but she was beginning to get the feeling that this was not going to be any ordinary mission.

Lisa was on standby, she had been on standby ever since the first signs that something was not right. She would continue to be on standby until the bodies were brought in, warmed up and verified as dead. On the Ice you could be thought dead because you were so cold that you bodily functions slowed down so much that they were almost unreadable. Every recovered body that was brought in was checked, warmed up as quickly but as safely as possible with heat pads and hot tubs and then the vitals were checked again, if they still had no life signs then they were declared dead and prepared for shipping back North to new Zealand for processing and return to their home country. The saying was macabre but accurate, "on the Ice you are not dead until you are warm and dead." Lisa was the chief medic on station and she had been in on most of the mission briefs but after 3 days of waiting and wondering, she knew there was no hope for anyone to be brought back in any condition other than dead. Lisa understood death was a part of life and as a medic she had to accept that she could not save everyone. She had known that nobody was coming back from the rescue mission but she had to keep her staff believing that there was hope until the announcement was made officially. They began draining the hot tub and packing the heat pads away,

Lisa stood out in any environment, her tall stature and long red hair could be seen from one end of town to the other, people were sometimes unsure if she had her red parka hood up or if they were seeing her hair instead. Her bright green eyes made her whole face seem more alert, her manner of talking made people feel calm and relaxed and for a medic, a calm patient was essential if treatment was going to begin quickly. Her staff were all returnees to the Ice and she was glad to have such a pool of professionals to work with. Her first season was only 2 months old and already she had seen the worst that could happen, the loss not of one, but of a team of people. They now knew that the rescue team were mostly safe and in New Zealand, nobody knew if they were coming back or not but everyone considered the rescue team out of action for the rest of the season. Lisa called her chief nurse, Caoimhe into her office and asked her to begin preparing for emergency drills. There were going to be more people coming to the Ice and it was a good practice to be ready for a large scale injury event, The Ice usually had a drill once a season to practice for such emergency situations. The system relied on volunteers monitoring their pagers and being ready to drop what they were doing in order to respond to any problem that came up. Stretcher bearers, note takers, first aid providers and security teams would all work together to seal off the area of incident and get the injured to the medical building in the middle of town as fast as possible. The timeline of events would be recorded for review at a later time and all statements would be taken and filed, Lisa knew the drill was still some weeks away but she wanted her people to be ready for anything, Caoimhe's smile told her that they already were.

Jimmy was exhausted, news had been shared with everyone and now the plane he was on had become a mini McMurdo, rumors were created at a pace of one per mouth every 7 minutes on average. Stories would begin simply enough but Jimmy knew the signs, a little addition here from someone who had read too many books and not gotten out of their rooms near enough. Add to this a little knowledge from one of the other returnees and the habit people pick up of hearing what they want out of a statement and then bring in those who thought they knew everything about their field of work and it was all the same wherever you went. They had left Los Angeles 4 hours ago and there was another 7 hours at least to go. A layover in Auckland before heading south to Christchurch, or Cheech as everyone knew it. A night of rest before an early morning flight to the Ice itself and 4 months of beating his head against a wall and trying to make things work with no parts, no equipment and little in the way of help. His electrical knowledge was well learned and would have gotten him a job in any number of large companies but he just wanted to get away from the world and there was nowhere he knew as unworldly as McMurdo. He feigned sleep, spent 25 minutes hiding in the toilet and even tried to trade in flight miles or buy a seat upgrade but the stewards were aware that he was an Ice worker and one which the others were trying to get information out of. They chose to leave him where he was and hope his presence would calm the others down a little more but if not, they were happy just to see him squirm and suffer as much as they were.

Marissa had had enough, she was trying to rest and get her mind focused but the general uneasiness of the rest of the new Icers was unsettling, she tried to walk away but she was recognized and people began following her in case she was looking for someone with answers. Now it was time to find someone with either the answers or the ability to make these people shut up, she went looking for Jimmy. Jimmy was busy, he had accessed the internet through the large planes onboard communications system and had looked into his e-mail account. He knew how easy it was for his messages to be read and retained by the system he used to access them so he used a specialist proxy server which sent packets at varying frequencies that could only be seen with the use of tinted glasses. He was currently reading the messages he wanted to see, from John and another worker in Denver who were letting him know what updates they had concerning the dead and plans for what was coming next. Marissa had crept up as silent as she was on wheels, she looked at the screen and wondered why it was blank, she tried looking from different angles but could not see anything at all and decided enough time had been wasted, she slapped Jimmy on the top of his head.

"You were talking with people in CO and you know things that the others do not, what the hell is going on here and why are you in the loop when the others who were down before are still as lost as we are?" She asked. Her gaze never changed but it seemed to roam all over Jimmy's face, reading his reactions and looking for signs of lies or concern. Jimmy closed out the internet connection and put his glasses away, he stood up and looked back there were 7 people stood behind Marissa and they were all determined to know what was happening but none were as forward as this belligerent child, he was going to like this kid.

Jimmy had two options, hope for pity or be pitiless. He chose quickly. "I know what I know and if you had any reason to know anything, or ways to find anything out, you would know as much or more than I do right now. Get to your seats and sit down for the rest of the flight or I will have your names given to HR and have you dismissed before you even reach the Ice, you will get as far as Cheech and be sent back. Anyone got any other issues you can take them up with someone who is paid to dry your tears." Jimmy was about to sit back down when the uppercut hit him square in the chin. He blinked his eyes clear and saw Marissa getting ready for another strike, the seats were in the way but she was lean and long, hair cut short and flame red which contrasted her pale skin and blue eyes and made her look like a demon straight out of hell itself. Jimmy was about to send her back there with a note to have her grounded for a few centuries so she could learn to evaluate her enemies better next time before she hit one. Jimmy balled up a fist and blocked the left hook which was offset slightly due to the back of the seat he was in and the wall behind Marissa. He was sure that the restrictions caused by the wall were the only thing that stopped the uppercut taking his head off, she was not getting a chance to get a second shot in. Jimmy threw up his hands and waggled his fingers comically, Marissa was confused for a split second and that was all Jimmy needed to land a soft smack on her cheek.

"If you really wanted to know that bad," he said, "all you had to do was ask." He held up his hands and motioned to the passageway where they could all talk. The small group walked back to the bathroom area where they had a little more room to talk, or fight. Jimmy looked Marissa right in the eyes as he told them what he knew. "We are headed down there and we are not getting any rest in Cheech, there are 3 flights over the next few days, if we miss tomorrow mornings flight then we are stuck in Cheech for 5 days while the 2 other flights are used for moving military equipment and people down. People are upset down there and some are leaving and heading home. The rescue team is in Cheech right now and may be headed down with us to the Ice as well or they may be held over until the military crew arrive and work together. If we are headed down with them, you will not, under any circumstances, talk with or to them. They have been through something that none of you can imagine or comprehend and they have all chosen to return once again for the team and to lead another insertion if required. They have enough to be dealing with and a bunch of idiot questions from dumb Fingies will not be tolerated by anyone, especially me. McMurdo has become a base camp for the operations and it is going to be strange for those of us who have been before, we know how it is supposed to be and it will not be like that this time but you new guys will know no different and it will just seem busy to you. They are setting up a new base at the Ice runway in which the military teams will stay. There will not be any more details about that but what we feel is that they ran into something there that should not be, perhaps a training ground for another countries military and that violates the Antarctic treaty which states that no militarization of the Ice is allowed for any reason. The Air Force is allowed because we need them to fly us down. Rumors are that they ran into a training exercise or possibly traps set up and left once the people who were there before had left. We know nothing and even when this is all said and done, we will likely not know anything due to military methods and information control." Jimmy stopped and looked out the small window in the door hatch for a few seconds before continuing. "You guys are headed into a storm of some kind and there is no parka that will keep this one from touching you deeply."

The group began to break up, Marissa remained and looked like she was deciding whether to push it farther or not, Catherine touched her arm and Marissa turned and left. Catherine was shorter and her red hair more subdued but her smile gave away her Irish heritage, she seemed to use her whole face to convey her feelings and she was not very good at hiding them. Kay was older than the others and seemed to take the role of mother very easily, Jimmy thought he recalled something about her having a kid already. Susan also had a child but she seemed to be considered as a big sister by the others, they seemed to be a decent group and had grown very close over the short time together. Things like that happened on the Ice all the time though it was unusual for such to happen before they even arrived there but this was no ordinary year.

Jimmy wandered forward and met with the other returnees and got them all together. Some had gotten the information he had gotten and the others were brought up to date on what Jimmy had told the Fingies and some more details he did not share with them, the returnees all agreed to hold the information close to them and watch the new people for any signs of strain or stress. There were too many hours of traveling left and too few places to escape. The returnees were anxious to get back to the Ice and begin being useful once again, they all knew there was nothing they could do but wait but that did not make it any easier. Some of the returnees recognized the stir crazy attitudes already. The Fingies were feeling the helplessness of the situation and worse, they were nowhere near where they may be able to help in any way. There was only one thing worse than being in a situation where you could not help and that was in knowing that you were heading to a place where you could not help. The returnees decided to create mini projects for the Fingies, gathering information and creating lists of ways they could be beneficial, first aid training or blood groups for the mobile blood bank which was basically a list of those wanting to be donors and what their blood group was, they were called if needed and left alone if not. Other projects were thought up for web research through the planes web interface but it was likely not going to be enough to keep everyone busy until they landed. First aid training centers were looked up by several Fingies even though they would not be in Cheech long enough to take the class, someone had the company send disaster preparedness links which were shared so that people could feel as if they were preparing for what may lay ahead. Some people slept, some researched and some took notes and compiled lists that would be thrown away as soon as they were handed over. The girls stood in the aisle and waited, they knew Jimmy would have to return to his seat eventually and they were damned if they were going to waste their time or money checking things they knew to be useless.

Susan walked through the plane, she recognized many of the people from the orientation and checked in on them, her open attitude and good looks made her easy to talk to and she was able to calm a number of younger travelers down. She made them feel excited once again about the ice and not as worried about the deaths that had occurred hundreds of miles from where they would be spending the next few months of their lives. Kay had taken the lead and she smiled as Jimmy walked up to his seat. Catherine was sitting in a seat across the aisle from his and Marissa was standing back a few steps in order not to cause a blockage but still within striking distance. As Jimmy approached his seat he was closed in on. It became apparent that the empty seats he was happy to have for stretching out in were now considered the property of the girls. Marissa sat behind him, Kay made him take the center seat and she took the aisle while Catherine leaned over the make sure she heard what was going on. Jimmy logged in and checked email once more but he knew that he could not ignore them for long, he closed the blank browser and began telling them what he could.

"OK Ladies. We are in some trouble but not as bad as people fear. The honeymoon is over though and as soon as you get there you are going to be busy. Susan will have to help in getting rooms ready for the special teams coming down, Kay, you will have to forget the store for now as it appears that you have been assigned to logistics but Catherine and Marissa will not be altered and they will report for work as soon as the arrive. Marissa will likely be taking the place of one of the more experienced housing staff who will be sent to prepare the housing for the new teams. Catherine will have to hit the chow hall hard and fast to get meals ready for the extra people coming down." Jimmy stopped for a second and gathered his thoughts before continuing. "It appears as if things are pretty normal still. We had 9 people quit, they were close to the people who were lost or were headed to work at the larger WAIS site which was a few miles from where the lost group was placed. A larger group was to have a small support staff of cooks and such to make sure they were able to conduct the science experiments without having to worry about generators and electricity problems. The equipment that was to be sent out is being kept in storage but the scientists want to get out there and get their work done, they are annoyed that a few deaths are preventing data from being collected and theory's proven or countered. Their careers and reputations are on the line and it appears that for some of them it is work worth dying for, or risking death. There was to have been 8 science groups going to WAIS and 3 of them are staying in McMurdo so they can have some hope of going there later in the season, 1 of the others can do its work remotely and the rest are being sent home for now. People are unpacking, repacking and fighting and we are going to fly into the middle of it all. It is a mess as groups do not want to have their work thrown out and the NSF wants safety to be the main factor, they are not telling us what they know but so far there are no evacuation orders so it is obviously not a danger to McMurdo. Kay, you will be helping with the packing and moving of equipment, Susan will help with room assignments and it looks like everyone will be busy but the good news is not only good, it is great news. The Frosty Boy ice cream maker is fully stocked and this year, they got Chocolate flavor again." Jimmy smiled, closed his eyes and began to breathe gently. The girls knew there was no use in asking anything more and they got up and left, Marissa slapped him on her way past.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Blade entered the building slowly and calm. He had seen the indicator lights on the way in, they were set to a frequency that was invisible to anyone else but him. His eyesight was keen enough to see wavelengths that were visible only to specialized cameras, this allowed him to set up trip wires everywhere for blocks around and know which had been tripped and the flashing frequency let him know when. Everything was good and he felt that he was safe, if anyone was in his lair they were going to get a shock, he could not smell anyone close by and there was no sound to indicate intruders but he knew that true security took practice and dedication. He had been caught before and had lost Whistler in that raid, he had not known that the loss of the old man would hit him so hard but Whistler was the only real family he had ever known and ever would. Blade approached the solid blank door and pressed him palm to the surface, a recessed scanner recognized the palm pressure points and temperature reading while a mic recorded the short statement he uttered under his breath.

His weight and height were determined by various sensors and a door was unlocked, 5 blocks away. Blade had just 25 seconds to get there and enter before the door locked down and remained so for 3 hours. He smiled at the precautions and leapt half a block in one bound. Blade continued to leap and fly, he jinxed left and right, ran under bridges and through buildings to hide his signature from overhead observers. He doubted very much if anyone was searching for him these days but training and loss had made him aware and determined not to be caught off guard again. It took him only 20 seconds to arrive at the doorway and pause, he sniffed once again, there was a draught from the higher pressure inside which prevented dirt entering the clean area. More importantly, it blew odors out to where he could detect them before entering. Blade opened the door slowly and entered the first stage room. This room was designed to trap intruders and immobilize them with gas or electric charge, only one of the walls was safe to touch and only if your feet were on the ceiling at the time, this deflected the electrical charge and allowed the gas to pass from the other corners to the floor without being breathed in. Blade dropped down before the inner door opened and he walked through into the living area. Abby was sitting in the kitchen, she was reading as usual and seemed totally engrossed in the volume she had in front of her. Blade knew that she was aware of everything going on in the old factory and that the laptop by her elbow was relaying all the data feeds from numerous cameras and sensors for several blocks. He didn't disturb her, he could see the sweat on her brow and guessed she had being working on some new weapon again. Blade was amazed at where the Night Stalkers got their energy from, the vampires were all dead except for the foolish familiars who thought it was as easy as injecting contaminated blood and buying a casket. It had been years since Drake was killed and still they worked at developing new weapons and improving the ones already in their arsenal.

Blade sensed the attack before he saw it. The knife was suddenly an inch from his head and an instant later it was in his hand, immediately it was falling to the floor. Blade looked at the burn mark on his palm. The leather glove offered no protection from the sharpness or the heat which seemed to be as hot as a laser. "New design," Abby said without taking her eyes from the technical manual she was reading. "Jill came up with a way to create more micro grooves which use friction to create heat; the heat creates a growth of the blades edge which exposes more cutting surface which of course means more cutting power. Even a master vampire will not be able to handle these once they are launched from the spring loaded mechanism, and when we load the micro grooves with garlic and essence of silver, it is instant death caused by the contamination and infection. We have a few more surprises, she was also able to alter the bullets with the same design. Micro ridges make the rounds fly straighter and faster as well as containing mini pockets on the outside which can carry various chemicals and compounds which are sprayed on the surface as the round is fired and expands through ignition of the priming charge and passage through the barrel. We are working on the new compounds such as a gentle nerve gas which puts humans unconscious and some others that are effective against animals and vampires also. The rounds can become non-lethal or very lethal depending on the chemical you choose and the area you aim at but even if they avoid a direct hit, it only takes a graze now to get the good stuff into them. It can also be used to obtain samples, we hit them and it absorbs blood into areas that they cannot wipe it clean from and we pick it up, expand it and see who we are fighting."

Blade was impressed, he was always amazed at how devious the Night Stalkers could be but this was evil as well. "Even Marissa Trek doesn't have this kind of stuff." He replied as he picked up the now cool knife and examined the edge for signs of the new treatment which had made it far more effective. "You know that they are all dead don't you? The Vampires, the ones you are making all this stuff to kill, the things you want to wipe out are already wiped out. You guys made sure of that so why are you still here, why are you still bothering me and why are you still making new weapons and trying to kill me with them as a way of demonstrating now effective they are?" Blade knew the answer already; it was  
just who they were and how they had been trained and the result of the vampires taking someone, or everyone, that they had once loved. The Night Stalkers were a loose group who worked in many places, cells were spread out in order to maximize security and they rarely even communicated directly which preserved secrecy and isolation. They had been an asset to Blade before but they were now beginning to annoy him the same way old Whistler had. They were always close by, always seemed to know what he was thinking or would need and always seemed to have a way to make his job easier and his life harder. Abby was Whistlers daughter and King was an idiot but they, and a few others, had made the retro virus that killed Drake and, with his death, condemned all vampires in reach of the spreading cloud of retro infected blood. It took 3 years for the last of the real vampires to die or be killed by Blade or other cells of the Night Stalkers. The Stalkers had developed the retro virus and a few weeks after the initial infection was begun they created a slight vaccine which was not a cure but a treatment. They sent word out through the underground and the vampires bought the treatment in desperation. It was an easy task to then follow the vampires back to their lairs and eradicate them with newer and stronger retro virus variations borne from blood samples taken from the body of Drake himself and their own blood taken from the syringes the fake vaccine was injected from. The vampires were so desperate for a cure that they were willing to let anyone inject them with anything in the hope that it would work and release them from living in airtight sealed rooms fitted with micro air filters to remove all traces of the retro virus. The last real vampire had been dispatched some months before and the fights of late were just cleaning up the remnants of their pets who wanted to be masters themselves. Blade usually just watched as the Stalkers took care of business, he was able to relax and enjoy the show but was close enough if a real vampire had managed to survive still and needed to be dealt with. He threw the knife back at Abby, the knife passed by her head and embedded itself in the wall behind her, it left a scorch mark, Blade was very impressed.

Blade walked into the training area, the old factory was once a drug manufacturing plant which had been shut down some months ago and considered as condemned. It was perfect for the team and was easy to defend with access to the waterfront for a fast escape if he were ever trapped again. King was in the weapons den and testing out a new short sword which was designed for more confined battles. Half the training area was open and the other half was filled with shelving and obstacles to simulate real life fighting situations and locations, kitchens, storage closets and many other rooms were set up and simulated for battles and inspection for traps. Blade was watching King more closely these days, Jill wanted to begin a relationship with him but King was once a vampire and it was likely that Blade would have to kill him one day in the future. King was not reacting as well to the serum as they had hoped. He had been affected by the release of the retro virus and nobody knew exactly how badly he was feeling or how bad it might get in the months to come but Blade was concerned about him. King was getting more aggressive lately, it may be a sign of the virus bringing his latent vampire side back to life again or the lack of fighting since the real vampires were killed or it might be just part of King being an idiot. The factory had been converted fast. Blade was impressed with how quick they could set up a facility and how fast they could take it down as well. The factory had been found and converted in 2 days, taking everything down and making it look like they had never been there had taken them only 12 hours. He saw Jill and 3 others packing some of the last crates into a small boat which had a hard shell on top, the shell was designed to allow the boat to submerge and become invisible to infrared detection as it motored to its next stop and back again.

Blade headed towards the briefing room and whistled as he approached the door and walked in, 15 seconds later everyone was in the room and ready for the brief and action. Blade was happy that they were able to put things down and arrive so fast without making any noticeable noise, these guys really were good. Blade took a DVD from his pocket, it would be a few more hours before the military were aware that the player in the SUV was empty. He inserted it into the briefing room player and brought the video up on the screen. The group was wondering what was so important that Blade would leave an assault and then order a move out from the factory. The video played and showed an expanse of white with a stream of data on the sides. Jill recognized the data stream as location markers and resolutions. She looked puzzled and began making notes in the PDA she always seemed to have in her hands. Jill, King and Abby were at the back of the room where they could watch the newer members of the team who had been named Fred, Shaggy and Scooby because of their appearances and love of Pizza. The video showed an ever-changing scene, the view remained the same but the angles changed as if it were a Hollywood movie and the camera was on a crane which was moving over the actors. Jill was already typing in commands on her PDA and Blade knew she was trying to determine the actual satellite which the footage came from, she was damned good he thought.

The team watched a group of tents and saw a middle aged woman leave and look around, she seemed to be looking for someone but having no success. They saw her reach and pull something to her face and a second later could hear her singing into the radio. "Can you hear me, can you hear me coming, can you hear me running can you hear me calling…." The scream was muted but they were not paying attention to the audio any more. They had seen him approach from nowhere at speeds unattainable by any human, he was not on the screen until she began singing and he was moving faster than the camera could track in focus. They watched as he stopped and stood beside her and saw her turn and face him. The scream came through but his voice was far more interesting. They all knew she was not going to live through the next few seconds but the sight was disturbing to them all, a vampire was still alive, a real vampire with speed and power and something else, they were looking at a vampire who could walk and run at amazing speeds through a snow drift, naked. Blade played the whole scene once more so everyone could study the surroundings again and then he turned the screen off. "Anyone notice that out fang fiend was running around in broad daylight? Pack warm and leave your passports here, we go military flights all the way there and back, and, don't forget your toothbrush."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Blade entered the building slowly and calm. He had seen the indicator lights on the way in, they were set to a frequency that was invisible to anyone else but him. His eyesight was keen enough to see wavelengths that were visible only to specialized cameras, this allowed him to set up trip wires everywhere for blocks around and know which had been tripped and the flashing frequency let him know when. Everything was good and he felt that he was safe, if anyone was in his lair they were going to get a shock, he could not smell anyone close by and there was no sound to indicate intruders but he knew that true security took practice and dedication. He had been caught before and had lost Whistler in that raid, he had not known that the loss of the old man would hit him so hard but Whistler was the only real family he had ever known and ever would. Blade approached the solid blank door and pressed him palm to the surface, a recessed scanner recognized the palm pressure points and temperature reading while a mic recorded the short statement he uttered under his breath.

His weight and height were determined by various sensors and a door was unlocked, 5 blocks away. Blade had just 25 seconds to get there and enter before the door locked down and remained so for 3 hours. He smiled at the precautions and leapt half a block in one bound. Blade continued to leap and fly, he jinxed left and right, ran under bridges and through buildings to hide his signature from overhead observers. He doubted very much if anyone was searching for him these days but training and loss had made him aware and determined not to be caught off guard again. It took him only 20 seconds to arrive at the doorway and pause, he sniffed once again, there was a draught from the higher pressure inside which prevented dirt entering the clean area. More importantly, it blew odors out to where he could detect them before entering. Blade opened the door slowly and entered the first stage room. This room was designed to trap intruders and immobilize them with gas or electric charge, only one of the walls was safe to touch and only if your feet were on the ceiling at the time, this deflected the electrical charge and allowed the gas to pass from the other corners to the floor without being breathed in. Blade dropped down before the inner door opened and he walked through into the living area. Abby was sitting in the kitchen, she was reading as usual and seemed totally engrossed in the volume she had in front of her. Blade knew that she was aware of everything going on in the old factory and that the laptop by her elbow was relaying all the data feeds from numerous cameras and sensors for several blocks. He didn't disturb her, he could see the sweat on her brow and guessed she had being working on some new weapon again. Blade was amazed at where the Night Stalkers got their energy from, the vampires were all dead except for the foolish familiars who thought it was as easy as injecting contaminated blood and buying a casket. It had been years since Drake was killed and still they worked at developing new weapons and improving the ones already in their arsenal.

Blade sensed the attack before he saw it. The knife was suddenly an inch from his head and an instant later it was in his hand, immediately it was falling to the floor. Blade looked at the burn mark on his palm. The leather glove offered no protection from the sharpness or the heat which seemed to be as hot as a laser. "New design," Abby said without taking her eyes from the technical manual she was reading. "Jill came up with a way to create more micro grooves which use friction to create heat; the heat creates a growth of the blades edge which exposes more cutting surface which of course means more cutting power. Even a master vampire will not be able to handle these once they are launched from the spring loaded mechanism, and when we load the micro grooves with garlic and essence of silver, it is instant death caused by the contamination and infection. We have a few more surprises, she was also able to alter the bullets with the same design. Micro ridges make the rounds fly straighter and faster as well as containing mini pockets on the outside which can carry various chemicals and compounds which are sprayed on the surface as the round is fired and expands through ignition of the priming charge and passage through the barrel. We are working on the new compounds such as a gentle nerve gas which puts humans unconscious and some others that are effective against animals and vampires also. The rounds can become non-lethal or very lethal depending on the chemical you choose and the area you aim at but even if they avoid a direct hit, it only takes a graze now to get the good stuff into them. It can also be used to obtain samples, we hit them and it absorbs blood into areas that they cannot wipe it clean from and we pick it up, expand it and see who we are fighting."

Blade was impressed, he was always amazed at how devious the Night Stalkers could be but this was evil as well. "Even Marissa Trek doesn't have this kind of stuff." He replied as he picked up the now cool knife and examined the edge for signs of the new treatment which had made it far more effective. "You know that they are all dead don't you? The Vampires, the ones you are making all this stuff to kill, the things you want to wipe out are already wiped out. You guys made sure of that so why are you still here, why are you still bothering me and why are you still making new weapons and trying to kill me with them as a way of demonstrating now effective they are?" Blade knew the answer already; it was  
just who they were and how they had been trained and the result of the vampires taking someone, or everyone, that they had once loved. The Night Stalkers were a loose group who worked in many places, cells were spread out in order to maximize security and they rarely even communicated directly which preserved secrecy and isolation. They had been an asset to Blade before but they were now beginning to annoy him the same way old Whistler had. They were always close by, always seemed to know what he was thinking or would need and always seemed to have a way to make his job easier and his life harder. Abby was Whistlers daughter and King was an idiot but they, and a few others, had made the retro virus that killed Drake and, with his death, condemned all vampires in reach of the spreading cloud of retro infected blood. It took 3 years for the last of the real vampires to die or be killed by Blade or other cells of the Night Stalkers. The Stalkers had developed the retro virus and a few weeks after the initial infection was begun they created a slight vaccine which was not a cure but a treatment. They sent word out through the underground and the vampires bought the treatment in desperation. It was an easy task to then follow the vampires back to their lairs and eradicate them with newer and stronger retro virus variations borne from blood samples taken from the body of Drake himself and their own blood taken from the syringes the fake vaccine was injected from. The vampires were so desperate for a cure that they were willing to let anyone inject them with anything in the hope that it would work and release them from living in airtight sealed rooms fitted with micro air filters to remove all traces of the retro virus. The last real vampire had been dispatched some months before and the fights of late were just cleaning up the remnants of their pets who wanted to be masters themselves. Blade usually just watched as the Stalkers took care of business, he was able to relax and enjoy the show but was close enough if a real vampire had managed to survive still and needed to be dealt with. He threw the knife back at Abby, the knife passed by her head and embedded itself in the wall behind her, it left a scorch mark, Blade was very impressed.

Blade walked into the training area, the old factory was once a drug manufacturing plant which had been shut down some months ago and considered as condemned. It was perfect for the team and was easy to defend with access to the waterfront for a fast escape if he were ever trapped again. King was in the weapons den and testing out a new short sword which was designed for more confined battles. Half the training area was open and the other half was filled with shelving and obstacles to simulate real life fighting situations and locations, kitchens, storage closets and many other rooms were set up and simulated for battles and inspection for traps. Blade was watching King more closely these days, Jill wanted to begin a relationship with him but King was once a vampire and it was likely that Blade would have to kill him one day in the future. King was not reacting as well to the serum as they had hoped. He had been affected by the release of the retro virus and nobody knew exactly how badly he was feeling or how bad it might get in the months to come but Blade was concerned about him. King was getting more aggressive lately, it may be a sign of the virus bringing his latent vampire side back to life again or the lack of fighting since the real vampires were killed or it might be just part of King being an idiot. The factory had been converted fast. Blade was impressed with how quick they could set up a facility and how fast they could take it down as well. The factory had been found and converted in 2 days, taking everything down and making it look like they had never been there had taken them only 12 hours. He saw Jill and 3 others packing some of the last crates into a small boat which had a hard shell on top, the shell was designed to allow the boat to submerge and become invisible to infrared detection as it motored to its next stop and back again.

Blade headed towards the briefing room and whistled as he approached the door and walked in, 15 seconds later everyone was in the room and ready for the brief and action. Blade was happy that they were able to put things down and arrive so fast without making any noticeable noise, these guys really were good. Blade took a DVD from his pocket, it would be a few more hours before the military were aware that the player in the SUV was empty. He inserted it into the briefing room player and brought the video up on the screen. The group was wondering what was so important that Blade would leave an assault and then order a move out from the factory. The video played and showed an expanse of white with a stream of data on the sides. Jill recognized the data stream as location markers and resolutions. She looked puzzled and began making notes in the PDA she always seemed to have in her hands. Jill, King and Abby were at the back of the room where they could watch the newer members of the team who had been named Fred, Shaggy and Scooby because of their appearances and love of Pizza. The video showed an ever-changing scene, the view remained the same but the angles changed as if it were a Hollywood movie and the camera was on a crane which was moving over the actors. Jill was already typing in commands on her PDA and Blade knew she was trying to determine the actual satellite which the footage came from, she was damned good he thought.

The team watched a group of tents and saw a middle aged woman leave and look around, she seemed to be looking for someone but having no success. They saw her reach and pull something to her face and a second later could hear her singing into the radio. "Can you hear me, can you hear me coming, can you hear me running can you hear me calling…." The scream was muted but they were not paying attention to the audio any more. They had seen him approach from nowhere at speeds unattainable by any human, he was not on the screen until she began singing and he was moving faster than the camera could track in focus. They watched as he stopped and stood beside her and saw her turn and face him. The scream came through but his voice was far more interesting. They all knew she was not going to live through the next few seconds but the sight was disturbing to them all, a vampire was still alive, a real vampire with speed and power and something else, they were looking at a vampire who could walk and run at amazing speeds through a snow drift, naked. Blade played the whole scene once more so everyone could study the surroundings again and then he turned the screen off. "Anyone notice that out fang fiend was running around in broad daylight? Pack warm and leave your passports here, we go military flights all the way there and back, and, don't forget your toothbrush."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dinner came and Catherine was exhausted, people seemed to emerge from nowhere as soon as 5 PM arrived, science groups sat and discussed projects and problems, night shift workers were coming in and taking seats alone. She was told that the shift workers tended to be more loners and not mix as well as the others on base. 6 PM came and things were a little quieter after the shift workers had left, Catherine was beginning to have time to actually learn what was going on and who the multitude of people in the Galley were. She had begun to enjoy the ability to move around the floor and clean tables, check salt and pepper shaker levels and make sure nothing was on the floor but that changed at 6.30 when everyone had finished work. The whole Galley seemed to erupt and overflow with people and voices and for an empath like Catherine, it was disturbing to be surrounded by so many people and minds so distracted and busy.

Marissa had begun working right away, her hours would be the same that Catherine worked so that would make things a little easier for the roommates as it meant one less alarm clock ringing at odd times. Susan had taken a little time to look at the housing office and collect her set of keys and pager, she was walking around town now and seeing the places she had only read about so far as she went from dorm to dorm and monitored room conditions. Kay was working already, she had been told that there was little that she could be shown until that evening when the small store closed up for the night. The staff hoped to be able to show her around and let her see the way things worked but they were all busy so Kay asked for her keys and the locations of the store rooms so she could Start getting used to where things were and how well they were stocked up for the season. She saw Susan and they began walking around together, there was not a lot of land taken up but the buildings were spread out in a haphazard fashion and they were now beginning to understand why some had called it a coal mining town in the past. The buildings here were hardly shanty in quality but they had a rustic feel to them and made it feel as if they had steeped back in time. The women hit the stores first and then the dorms, once they had each looked at the buildings they would be concerned with for the next few months they walked to the top of the town and began wandering through the buildings that belonged to other departments.

According to the map they had printed out, they were at the top of the rise that separated McMurdo from Scott Base, the New Zealand base, and the road out to the Willie Field Ice runway which was built on solid ice and was capable of use year round. There was also a small group of buildings close by operated by a science crew who sent balloons up into the highest atmospheric reaches, the instruments at that height had little to no atmospheric interference and were almost as reliable as satellites but at a fraction of the costs, as long as things worked out well. The balloons were partially filled with helium and sent aloft, the balloon expanded as it rose and would end up as wide as a football fiend when at altitude. The balloon inserted itself into the Antarctic Polar slipstream which was a circumnavigation wind circulating around the outer edges of the Ice. The balloon would pass close over McMurdo every 6 to 9 days depending on the wind speeds and balloon condition. Instruments were packaged in a gondola beneath the envelope and at the end of the research it would be released by exploding bolts which held the gondola to the balloon tethers. Some balloons never made it far from the ground, leaks and tears meant that it would never reach altitude and they were allowed only to rise high enough for the payload to be jettisoned and returned safely back to earth and prepared for another flight if possible.

Down towards the bay they could see the Fuel building to the right and the path to Ho Cal and MMI on the left, that way also brought them by the Berg Field Center, BFC, which housed the camping and rescue equipment. People said that BFC really stood for Big and Fucking Cold and anyone entering the non insulated steel constructed building would agree at once. Science Cargo worked in the next building and they were responsible for ensuring safe and timely delivery of scientific equipment to and from all parts of the Ice. Science Cargo usually worked more closely with the Carpenters and coordinators such as Patty or Nichole. Kay decided that it was best to walk straight ahead as they had already seen the buildings on the left and there was nothing but fuels and an electrical parts storage building to the right. There was a large road passing down from the Carpenters shop but some of the workers had pointed to a small trail called the Goat Path which connected the carpenter shop to the back of Building 136. This housed the plumbing, welding, electrical and maintenance shops as well as store room and service desk where all work orders were created and printed up so that work could be completed and parts charged correctly. Across from 136 was the fire house and clinic, to the right was building 155 and to the left was building 001 which was Crary Lab where almost all McMurdo science was conducted. Crary lab was a 3 level building built on the natural slope of volcanic rock beneath; the individual sections were connected by walkways that contained both stairs and ramps. To the left of Crary was the Chalet and down from there was the helicopter landing pads and maintenance building as well as the big gym and radio communications building. There was a small road to an outpost aquarium and then there was nothing but Ice and whiteness. Down from the clinic was Southern Exposure, the smokers bar and the bowling alley and finally the military communication building, Hut 10 and a drop to the Ice below. To the right of building 155 were the upper case dorms which were 3 story apartment style buildings and housed most of the McMurdo residents. Buildings 210, 211, 201 and 202 were 2 story living quarters and though less luxurious, they were preferred by many returnees.

Kay and Susan had walked most of the town in 20 minutes at a slow pace and they were now passing the last of the upper case dorms and looking at the combined water and power generation plant and the waste water treatment plant beyond which was the last of the buildings before the bay began. To the right was the dock which would be used in early January when the Ice breaker, fuel tanker and re-supply ship arrived for their annual visit. Behind the loading dock was Hut point, the oldest building in the region built by the Scott expedition for supply and mission staging, the hut which Scott and his team never managed to return to, physically at least. The women were going to look at it later in the  
week, it was too cold now and they had a busy day so far and a busy night ahead. It was now almost 8 PM and they could see a lot of activity in and around Hut 10 and the military command building next door, they returned to their jobs and would try to figure out what all the fuss was about later.

Blade was annoyed, his serum delivery device had frozen twice already and he could feel the thirst for blood coming on him as he waited for the device to warm up. Abby and King were standing by, close by. The team had taken over Hut 10 and had examined the maps but had found no clues as to what was there or why vampires would be hiding out in a place where there was 24 hour sunshine and of darkness for 4 months of the year. Nothing made sense at all but they had to make sense of it and make a plan to take care of whatever was there and make sure nothing was left. The videos were even worse, the naked bodies burning in the light but repairing themselves faster than the sun could damage them, some were not even burning at the suns touch on their naked bodies. Whistler and King had set up base and examined their equipment, the air here was very dry and that would affect the bow and arrows that Abby loved so much. The laser arc was no use here as the cold drained batteries quickly and there was no easy way to replace them in the field, that was something they were already planning on fixing as soon as they returned home. Blade had some trouble with his sword, the cold did not affect the blade itself but the sheath began contracting and making it harder to extract the weapon instantly, he had no trouble removing the weapon but he did not want to break the sheath, he had it for some time now and had grown used to it. The carpenters had supplied some oils that had eased the movement but it was looking like he would have to carry the blade in his hands or get another sheath to keep it in.

The cold was always a problem but here it was far more so, they could see the effects of such on the videos, blood froze almost as soon as it left the body. Metal could not be touched with bare hands or the skin would remain on the metal instead of the hand and even the attacking vampires were seen shaking skin off their knives in order to keep a better grip on them. Something was different, the skin was burning on the attackers but as soon as it came off them it tuned to ash again and fell away. they were replenishing themselves somehow and it was hard to figure out where they were getting the energy from but they were not able to stay out in the sun for long and that might be why they hid themselves in the snow. Whatever they were trying here was not complete and their hideout was found too early for them to be completely ready, that could work in Blades favor if he could keep them out in direct light for any amount of time.

The rest of the team were busy, King was working with Kim who was their electronics guy, he was short and wiry but able to build a weapon out of air itself and then use it with deadly force, he was not your typical geek. Kim was ex military, he had served in the Seals and saw 2 tours in Iraq before being allowed to leave, whatever he had done, it was good enough for him to get a release at a young age and permission to join Blades team coming to the Ice. He had been a night stalker for 5 years and Blade felt that he would not betray their trust in him even to the military. Blight was a different matter, he lost his wife to a vampire and he had managed to kill the vampire with his bare hands. Blight was a nuclear reaction waiting to happen, his 6 foot frame was held together by willpower alone as nobody could see how gravity or any other force could keep that amount of muscle in one place without it rupturing and destroying everything within 200 yards.

Sheila was the last member of the team on the Ice, she had come in late and Blade still did not see a real need for her. She was a researcher and steeped in folklore that seemed to have nothing to do with what they were doing, there was no need to check folklore when you already knew the monsters were real. Sheila had proven her worth though, she had a knack of knowing people and seeing how they thought, she had already uncovered several small groups of vampire converts who were trying to become fully turned and had directed Blade to their lairs as well as devised better tactics for infiltrating and gathering information. Blade did not like her, she was too nice to people and if she was 30 years older he knew she would be a hippy, Blade did not like hippies.

The crew was set up and waiting, the first radar scan would be coming in soon the C-130 was already checked out and on the way to WAIS. The flight was about 25 minutes out and all systems looked to be working fine. Col Mayors had just arrived and was handing out more folders, further satellite passes had revealed a little more and some spy satellites orbits had been altered to look at the area more closely also. Russia had sent some new images which showed a far larger cavern than thought possible before, the US satellites would be a few hours later and would not be able to provide much better detail. They were not designed to be looking for this kind of situation and the ones which could do such were in orbits which could not be easily or quickly altered. Infrared and visual imaging sweeps showed a large area had been cleared out deep down but there were also several places where far more heat was escaping, showing the Ice to be far thinner at those locations.

The coordinates were sent to the C-130 so they could get a far closer and better look at what was there. It would take the plane a few hours of sweeping back and forth to build up a complete picture of the zone and what possibly lay below. The flight crew knew there were possible dangers there as a slow moving craft could be shot down with rifles or a lucky shot from a handgun. This was no easy task and the captain had complete control over this mission, only the pilot really ever knew what was going on in and around their plane. Capt Jenkins had been a pilot for 22 years and flying to the Ice for 6 years now, this was to be his last rotation to the Ice and then he would be returning to the US for a desk job and into retirement. He felt the same way many do, he dreaded the thought of flying a desk and leaving the seat of power but he knew that his wife would be happy to have the family all close together and a sense of normalcy at last after 12 years married. He had a dozen or so flights left over the coming season and then instructional flights as his co-pilot, Mace, took over his duties, she was young and confident but he knew how to change that in anyone.

She was almost diametrically opposite to him in every way, he was tall and lean with silver creeping into his hair as well as his cobalt blue eyes, she was powerfully built with long bright red hair and a piercing gaze that could cut through the skin of the plane if she put her mind to it. His crew chief and he had worked very closely together for 3 years and they knew each other far longer than that and they had given the load master a small netbook computer with special testing program which could mimic troubles with the plane while on the ground for maintenance and in flight for testing pilots in emergency situations. They had used it over the last few years to test the real metal of the new crop coming up, most made it through without trouble. The others were trained harder and usually paid far more attention to the instruments and the little movements which instrument did not monitor but a good pilot was always aware of and could use to determine issues before they became serious. The program itself was never supposed to leave the US and it was certainly never supposed to be used outside of a simulator as they used it but everyone who had been through the impromptu testing came out a far better pilot than they thought they could be. Facing certain death in reality was a whole lot different from a simulator where you know safety is only a door away. Mace had been tested twice already and seemed to react faster than the computer program could throw things at her. The loss of the science team, rescue team and Air Force guards had changed this, he was busy with the controls and Mace was trying to ensure the plot and actual position matched. They had to make sure that they were on track for the radar sweeps or they would not get the angles they needed in order to see what was hidden.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The passes would be made at 300 foot above the Ice. A smaller altimeter radar unit would verify height above surface and sound an alarm if they dipped below 280 foot. Judging distance and elevation on the Ice was near impossible, everything was white and flat. They were 2 minutes from the beginning of their inbound run for the radar attack, this had been planned with an attack profile due to the possibility of fire coming from the Ice surface and the risk of the plane being hit. Mace called out the readings, everything was in the green and she was ready, 60 seconds and all systems were active. The technicians in the cargo hold ensured their equipment was operating as it should be and the 4 dedicated shooters were watching the windows intently. They could not see much through the small portholes and the remote web cams which were attached to the forward edge of the front exit doors were unable to focus and tended to frost up quickly. Mace called time, they were now within 1 mile of the expected attack range, the defensive systems on board were checked and locked in automatic position, they would launch flares and radar blocking chaff if they detected any missile launch from the surface. They were flying so low that only a very small number of weapons could be used against them and most of those were handheld guns and rifles and there was no countermeasure for them other than not being where the bullet was going.

"Radar on and receiving return signal" The chief tech called from his seat in the cargo hold. He had already begun the tape which would be viewed later on for more detail and verified the signal was also being received at McMurdo, they would have better ability to review the feed on their systems and they would be the ones to call in for an end of mission or for more sweeps as required. Everything looked good from their point, they were beginning a slow sweep to determine the outer dimensions of the cavern, and this would take the longest due to the unknown nature of the cavity below. They would fly parallel lines at extreme range and begin to slowly close into where they believed the center was. The radar tech would let them know when they had found a difference in density which would mark an outer boundary while another tech was tasked with mapping the cavern on paper as well as the GPS equipped netbook. All this data was being relayed through to McMurdo but it was still going to be a lonely 45 minutes of flying on their own. "Contact" The radar tech called out suddenly, "This is either farther South than we thought or it is huge."

A series of calls came from the tech advising all when a density difference was found and within 12 minutes they had covered enough to determine that there were at least 3 caverns linked together by tunnels. 1 tunnel led to the Ice edge, to the Antarctic Ocean and the other tunnel connected a small cavern to the larger one which they had still not mapped fully. The radar tech asked Jenkins to follow the seaward tunnel and see where it went to and if there were more than just 1 tunnel there. Jenkins wanted to know but he had other duties also, he radioed McMurdo for permission to alter course for investigation. It would be a few minutes before he got a reply so he turned inbound for another sweep nearer to the expected center of the small cavern, they felt safe so far but they had seen the video and they were busily scanning for snow mounds which could hide attackers, the radar tech had called out some already but they were around the airstrip and all were empty. 5 minutes passed and the radio cracked to life."Jenkins, base command, you are to proceed to new contact at Ice edge, radar tracks have shown enough to begin planning here but we need to know what is at the end of that last tunnel. Base out." The call was short and direct, just as it should be Jenkins thought, he was happy to be able to look into something that was unknown so far. He looked over to relay the orders and saw mace was already plotting the course and speed to find the tunnel again and follow it to the Ocean; she really is good he thought with a smile.

"Everyone better hang on back there," Jenkins called out. "We are headed north to locate the end of tunnel 2. We are coming up to 600 foot to get better long distance coverage, just in case there is something there that we don't want to run into." Jenkins brought the plane up slowly, the doubling of height would allow the radar to cover 3 times the distance from the plane itself but they would lose some detail in the image return. Once they found the tunnels end they would run a few fast sweeps and get back to the main camp again. There was not lot left to cover at the main camp, they had already decided its outer edges and only had 3 sweeps left to determine the layout of the center section. They had only flown for a few seconds when they heard the bullets hitting the fuselage. "Evasive maneuvers Mace," Jenkins called. Mace was already pushing the throttles up as far as they would go and trimming the flaps and speed brakes in order to reduce drag and more quickly escape the area. It took them 30 seconds but the firing and impacts stopped and they were able to get a damage report.

The loadmaster took stock quickly and was in the cockpit in less than 2 minutes. "We have several punctures in the airframes skin but nothing major was hit, we are leaking some fluids that I believe are hydraulics from the landing gear, we are going to have to lower them manually but they should lock into position and not fail us on landing. Gauges show that we are still good on oil and fuel. I say we are in no more danger whether we stay or leave sir." He finished his report and went back to the cargo hold. Mace had been busy checking the gauges also, they were losing fuel somewhere but it was not easy to see such if it was on the sunward side, they informed the chief and banked the airframe around so he could see the port wing under shadow, there were 3 streamers of fuel coming from the wing.

Jenkins was angry now. They had shot up his craft and endangered his crew. He called McMurdo and got no reply, he had to make the decisions now and he knew what his choice was but he was a good captain and wanted to make sure his crew were on board also. "Chief" He called over the inter radio. "Come to the pit please." 15 seconds later Chief McCormick was between the pilots and listening. Jenkins did not have much to say, he made his point clear and quick. "We have been hit and are losing fuel and hydraulics, we have to land on emergency procedures anyhow but we are also now dealing with fuel load issues. Mace says we have more than enough to loiter an hour and then head back to McMurdo with plenty to spare. I do not want to leave here without what we came for, that means another flight will have to come all the way out here and these bastards will have more time to prepare for them. I want to go back in and get the data as long as the radar equipment is working and the crews are willing to run the risk we are going to take. I want us to sweep quickly over the new area and then hit the main base once as we fly directly over the center on our way home. I think that 1 sweep should do for each target and they may be expecting us but not likely expecting the way we are coming in this time." McCormack smiled and gave Jenkins a thumb up sign, it was a go, he left and informed the radar crews and the cheers that erupted from the rear let Jenkins know that they were all in agreement.

Senior Airman Smith was now in the cockpit. He was leading the radar crew and was showing Jenkins and Mace the latest layout they had of the target area. "We have the track of the tunnel and these 3 hollows that we were likely attacked from, it was hard to make them out at the height but closer will allow us to see everything. I think that what you are doing is risky sir but we are behind you 100%, we do not want to have to come all the way out here again."

"How much time do you need and how high and steady do we have to be?" Jenkins asked. "We are coming in hot and hard and there will not be much time for anything but the one sweep and getting out of there without damage, hopefully."

"We can do it sir, we already have a number of reference points that we can use, I would like one high level pass so we can try to determine what we can see and use that as a reference later and then you are free to do as you wish." Smith replied.

Jenkins looked at Mace and raised an eyebrow. Mace made some calculations on a piece of notepaper and nodded. "We can make a few high level passes but no less than 800 foot which would degrade the radar image resolution to a bearable level. We can possibly be able to make out the larger opening if there is one at the tunnels end and the tunnel itself but anything smaller than that means we are going to have to do it at less than 600 foot and that was where we were when we were hit already. They had a lot of time before to set up the shot and they simply had to wait until we flew into their aim point and brought ourselves into target range. I believe that we were at the extreme range of their equipment which is why they hit us with so little energy, they were almost out of kinetic force which stopped them when they entered and did not allow them to puncture out through the upper skin. We should be ok at 700 foot with level flight and evasive maneuvers at anything below that but that will throw off the radar return." She finished and went back to making notes and calculations, she was a professional and Jenkins was damned happy he had called her for this mission.

Jenkins looked at Smith. "Get your ass in a seat and buckled tight, all your people grab puke bags or they will clean the deck with toothbrushes and their tongues if they puke on my bird." He said as he tightened his own straps for the ride ahead.

The C-130 flew straight and level at 800 foot and the radar image was dull but they could sharpen it with more computing power at McMurdo, the radios were out but the radar feed seemed to be going through without trouble. Jenkins ran 2 more passes at 700 and 650 foot and as they cleared the end of the last run he counted slowly to 50, grabbed the yolk hard and pulled it into a hard turn to port as Mace slammed the throttles to the forward stops and brought the engines up to military thrust power. Everyone in the cargo hold had expected the turn to the left but they were still clinging to anything they could grab as the plane stood on a wingtip and pulled itself over into a near suicide dive while reversing course. The plane lost 400 foot and turned 190 degrees in seconds, the radar techs were doing everything they could in order to not throw up, or at least not be the first to lose it, and McCormack just smiled at the green faces.

Jenkins and Mace both fought hard to keep the craft as steady as possible and aim the radome over where they hoped the cavern was located, it took 1 minute before they were past where they expected the danger zone to be and they flew on for another 2 minutes before they relaxed power and slowed down. Smith was between them instantly. "We got a clear enough shot and we are able to make out a few interesting features" He said as he handed a printout to Jenkins. Jenkins turned white and handed the printout to Mace. She turned it upside down and sideways to make sure, she handed it back to Smith, she had no calculations for what she saw and she had no idea how to accept it as possible.  
Jenkins looked at the gauges, they would be over the main camp in 7 minutes, there was no time for thinking when there was a job to do but he was already plotting the sequence of events as soon as they had finished the last sweep. He would be proud to know that Made had come up with the exact same mental list.

They repeated the same maneuver over the main camp but they were not so lucky this time. The shots rang out and most missed them but 3 rounds hit the center line and caused a loss of pressure in an oil line. They were not going to be able to continue on without landing and repairing the line, they had nowhere but the air strip below and little time to look for options. McCormack was the one who came up with the plan.

The radar equipment had done its job, it was powered down and the transmitter cable hooked up to a portable radio set. They were soon able to report their condition to McMurdo and let them know that they had to land or they would soon have failure in multiple systems which would force a landing roughly an hour after they would have returned to base but they were not going to take chances on delays or strong headwinds. The radio connection was not secure and they could not divulge the plan they had come up with, it was likely that nobody would ever fully know what they had done or why but that was a risk that had to be taken and there was no time left. McCormack found what he needed and was entering commands into the netbook software. Smith and his people had checked for damage to the snow mobiles and found 1 was no good, the others would be able to get them out of the area quickly if they survived the landing and any possible assault after such. There were emergency packs tied to 3 of the snow mobiles and that would provide them with enough shelter, food and batteries for the emergency radio for 5 days, they simply needed to get far enough away for it to be safe to set up camp.

"Brace for impact, brace for impact." Mace called over the intercom, they were 20 seconds from landing, the landing gear was down and locked mechanically due to the loss of hydraulics, the rear loading door was already opened in case of power outage on landing. They needed to be able to get out fast and having the large door open was going to ensure that would happen even if it was broken off. McCormack had the netbook plugged in and ready, he had already set up false warning lights and convinced the onboard computer that the damaged systems were repaired and the plane was safe and sound landing on a smooth runway for inspection and simulation exercises. The plane obeyed every input and would continue to do such until McCormack entered a release code which would bring the onboard computer back to normal once more. McCormack also placed a time delayed order into the computer; it was a risk but an educated one that he had to take. He braced for landing and held onto the netbook as if his life depended on it.

The landing was a little rough but mostly due to the lack of surface grooming of the strip. The plane came to rest and immediately the crew were Starting up snow mobile engines and getting out as fast as they could. Each team had a GPS with preset meeting point, they were all headed to location 42 which was 7 miles away, hopefully far enough away so that the attackers would not waste time and energy in chasing them so far. McCormack was entering in the last commands, the ones which could not be entered until the plane was stopped and everyone was leaving. He was standing by the rear door with the ECW for Jenkins and Mace in his hands, he was not leaving without them and Smith was sitting on one of the 2 snow mobiles left, they were 2 seat models and he was not leaving without the people who had gotten him through everything so far. It took a few minutes for everyone to be dressed fully and seated, Mace was with McCormack and Jenkins sat behind Smith, McCormack handed the netbook and a gun to Jenkins, he placed the small computer on the Ice and shot a round through the hard drive. There was no going back now and no chance that the enemy would be able to get any information from it and find out what had been done. The only thing of importance which they took was the log book and maintenance log, they would still be required if the plan was to work at all.

The crew went hard and fast, the safety point was not too far but the snow mobiles were not meant for speed, they were set for reliability and endurance. The 7 miles to point 42 were hard and tiring, the constant vibrations and bouncing caused a few bruises and a lot of cursing. Point 42 was closer to the Pole itself and less likely to be searched by the attackers if they managed to get the plane airborne and thought the crew were worth looking for. They doubted they were that important but Jenkins was furious, he had never had a crash and never left an airframe deserted before, this was no way to end a career and certainly no way for Mace to begin hers.

It took 1 hour for the last snow mobile to arrive at the emergency point, it was McCormack and Jenkins of course, they had staged themselves at the rear of the column and stopped regularly to watch for anybody in pursuit. There were no signs and it was beginning to look like the gamble paid off, leave the plane for them to repair and attempt to fly out instead of rushing after the crew. The plane was airworthy still with 2 or 3 hours of work by a knowledgeable crew and it was a guess as to when they might hear the engines roar and see a speck lifting up into the sky overhead. A light wind was blowing, as always, and Jenkins hoped it would obscure their tracks and make it impossible for the attackers to know where they had ridden off to. They had taken every precaution they could and had began their escape in a different direction from where they were now located and traveling as far astride each others tracks as possible in order not to leave too deep a gouge in the snow.

Jenkins jumped off the snow mobile and rushed over to Smith, the others had already set up the emergency short wave radio equipment and positioned the antenna perpendicular to McMurdo so that it would broadcast on the correct wavelength and direction to be picked up by the base but unlikely to be noticed by anyone back at the WAIS camp. The crew had set up 2 tents with 50 yards between them in order to prevent a single attack being effective against everyone and providing some coverage in case of assault though they knew there was little hope of defeating whoever it was out there.

Smith was keying the radio mike as Jenkins walked up. "We are at point 42 broadcasting in the clear, position secure at this time, allocate assets as appropriate. All personnel are accounted for and able-bodied. Carrier downed by enemy fire and abandoned at WAIS strip. How Copy?"

Mayors' voice came through the small speakers with surprising force. "I am going to wring the neck of the baMarissads who knocked you down but that will happen later, state current requirements and intent."Smith looked at Jenkins. They had placed the antenna array facing McMurdo where the transmittal energy would be focused stronger and little or none would emanate from the ends of the transmission line to the direction of the WAIS camp. It was highly unlikely that they would be overheard by the attackers but McMurdo could only broadcast in the clear in all directions and their signals could easily be received by everybody. There was a fine line between letting command know what you were doing and allowing the enemy to know your next move. McCormack was beside Jenkins and he opened the maintenance log book and found the relevant pages and took the microphone, this was going to take tact and mechanical expertise and nobody knew the bird like the loadmaster did, even Jenkins knew this to be true.

McCormack began reading a list of maintenance issue report numbers from the logbook to identify past problems and designate how badly the airframe had been damaged. Smith was busily tearing apart a small PDA unit and was smiling broadly, he began picking tools from a jeweler's case and attaching wiring harnesses to the back of the electronic device. He turned it over and began typing quickly and handed it to Jenkins. Jenkins smiled and took the microphone from McCormack, "McMurdo, stand by, we have a very important fax to send." Jenkins thought the radar operator had lost his mind in the landing but Smith smiled broadly as his team began removing panels from the emergency radio and splicing wires together. Smith keyed the radio one last time. "McMurdo, we have found a way to kook up the PDA to the radio, record the data stream and play it back to a fax machine. You will be able to get a printout of our plan and reply in code but we will only be able to hear you on voice circuits, the PDA is not set up to receive in this manner."

Col Mayors was not happy, it was 15 minutes of transmission time before the whole copy was received and decoded, the plan was simple and direct but highly risky to all. He was going to bust Jenkins and McCormack down to washing latrines for having that damned training program but it was probably the one thing that was going to save the day and it made a safe landing possible and had already saved the lives of those on board the flight. He had read over the plan one more time before agreeing to it and giving permission for the plan to proceed, he already had enough going on without this but there was no time left now for anything but action. He had learned that a special task force was arriving on an unscheduled flight, special operations forces which were trained in mountain and snow fighting techniques. The SOF group was flying in to refuel and pick up Blade and then leaving immediately, there was no time left now and this new development was going to have to be factored in but the most immediate concern was to let Blade and his teams know what was going to happen next.

Mayors walked into Hut 10 and found the team packing the last of the maps into their bags and getting ready to leave. "Where are you going?" He asked King, King looked over his shoulder at Blade and smiled. Mayors turned and watched as Blade came around the corner and stood directly in front of him. "I said where are you going?" Mayors repeated though less assuredly this time.

Blade motioned for the team to sit down and he pushed Mayors into a seat. "I have extremely good hearing at the best of times and around here there is nothing to prevent me hearing what is happening and to who in the buildings at the other end of town. I heard the situation going on at WAIS and that the SOF is inbound and ready for us to go. We saw the radar images of the cavern and know what to expect but we are going to have to connect and coordinate with the SOF on our plan. They are not going to like me being in charge but they are not going to have a choice if they want to party, they dance to my beat or not at all. Sheila has a list of equipment that we need and we have been told that it is all in the BFC and ready to be delivered to the runway in 10 minutes. You are going to have to sign off on that though as we didn't bring enough pocket change to purchase it with cash and I don't want you to have access to my credit card numbers." Blade was smiling broadly as he finished and his teeth had the desired effect on Mayors who remained in place as the team began filing out. Mayors recovered quickly and followed the team into the bright cold day.

"You are all to await my orders, I am in control of this operation and you were not able to read the fax that outlines their plan, you may have heard some aspects but without the whole overview, you are going to endanger my people and I am not going to allow that to happen. Step back inside and I will allow you to read the whole sheet and see what my people are going to do and what they think is going to come of it. Please." Mayors held the door open and waited anxiously. Blade waved his people inside and took the printout from Mayors as he entered. It took less than 10 seconds to speed read the 4 pages, he then read them again slower and then took off his shades and blinked his eyes clear before reading them one more time. He handed the sheets to Sheila who scanned them quickly and handed them to Whistler, Sheila was never disturbed by what she read or saw and Blade could see her already plotting out the new information into her plan and adjusting it for best effect. She pulled out the maps and began making marks and corrections as she recalculated the best attack strategy for the new data set. Whistler and King were Starting into space as they tried to figure out how they were going to deal with this new twist and also complete the original plan. Blight smiled as he thought of the new challenges ahead, Kim was less excited as it meant a messy engagement that would greatly increase the risk and lessen the effectiveness of their ability to fight the people at the cavern.

Blade waited until everyone had settled down and then looked at the map that Sheila had just updated and it took him a few seconds to comprehend it all. He trusted Sheila completely in her skills and ability to come up with a plan based on the knowledge of the group being attacked but this was almost too much even for his team, he nodded to the rest of the team and they began inspecting the updated map and looking for their names and tasking.

"This is going to be suicide." Kim muttered.

"This is gonna be fun" Blight replied.

Mayors spoke clearly and slowly. "We still do not know who we are up against or what their plans are, we cannot let you people go anywhere and I am not letting you get anywhere with one of my planes when one is already lost and most likely being repaired right now for use by the people the crew were sent to learn about. There are too many risks and I know you people feel that you can learn how to fly  
anything in 5 minutes and get there yourself but that is not going to happen so get used to not being in control until I am ready to hand control over to you." He looked around and took a deep breath before continuing. "We have a specialist team coming down who know how to fight in the snow and the rescue team is coming back as well, they want to help us get the people who killed one of theirs and they are willing to do what has to be done in order to make that happen. These guys took a beating and are ready to take another if need be. You guys were brought in for this and I still do not know why but that does not matter, I was told to work with you as much as possible and get you where you have to be but not to endanger my people in the course of doing such. If possible and before I send anyone anywhere with or for you, I want to know why you are here and why I am helping a mass murderer walk around freely instead of locking you up and having you shot.

Blade sat still for a few more moments until Mayors had taken a few breaths and got the color back into his cheeks again. Blade tossed a coin in the air and then struck it so that it flew towards Mayors, Mayors reactions were lightening fast and he caught the coin in his outstretched hand. He smiled at Blade and stopped as he saw that Blade was no longer sitting on the couch, he looked around and jumped as Blade touched him on the back of his shoulder. He watched as Blade jumped over him and landed without a sound in front of the couch again and took his seat. "I can do a lot more than that too." He said with a smile. "I can't leap over tall buildings in a single bound but I can smash through most walls with a single kick. I can't see through walls but I can hear very well and I can outrun a speeding train though I would not be dumb enough to stand in front of it and see if I could stop it. I can also go for many days without sleep and go forever without food or water but I cannot go without one thing, the one thing that makes everything else possible. I need blood in order to survive though I now use a special serum to replace the blood and prevent me from becoming what is generally called, a Vampire." Blade smiled once more and this time he made sure to show his Incisors for effect. Mayors was still unconvinced but he knew enough to not want to know more, he was harboring a known fugitive and doing so at the request of the government he was supposed to help track down people like this and lock away. The civilians who had flown down on the same flight were already warned about the consequences of discussing his location with anyone else but Mayors knew they would eventually talk and he hoped they were far away from here before anyone else came looking for him.

"We are here to help you for one reason, the obvious one even to someone like you." Blade continued. "The people we are searching for are vampires also, that is why they were not killed by the bullets and why they bit the victims. They were hurt and damaged and the only way they could heal themselves was to drink blood and let it energize them again so they could regenerate and continue fighting. The real problem is, they were fighting in the daytime and in direct sunlight which is not supposed to be possible for any but me and that was a fluke of nature, lucky me. I was born able to walk in the sunlight but also cursed with the thirst for blood. Someone found me and made me better, the serum was developed and I was able to take the fight to the bad guys, the real vampires that people should be scared of. The murders I am accused of are related to the fight, either the vampires who went missing and were never found or the human familiars who guard them and do their dirty work. You will not find the missing ones, when they die, they turn to ash as time catches up with them so there is nothing left but dirt on the ground which holds no DNA or any way to identify the victim. That means that there is no way for me to prove who I killed and that I didn't just hide the body. We are both murderers, we both kill others when required but the main difference is that I do not pick sides based on where someone was born or what they look like, I kill those who chose to be assholes and the fools who chose to knowingly work for them."

Mayors sat down as he tried to take this all in. He was shocked and disbelieving, Blade drew a sharp knife across his arm and the skin began healing quickly, a draw on his serum inhaler caused the wound to heal instantly without scarring. Mayors found it hard not to believe now but it was so fantastical that his mind would not allow him to accept such. "Whatever and whoever you are, my orders are to do what can be done and I will do such, just get it done and get off the Ice so that I can get back to living in a world with nightmares but no real monsters. The SOF are less than 20 minutes out, we would like to get everyone together and review the plan so that we have the best chance of success. We will have everyone in here in 25 minutes and will be ready 20 minutes after that with 2 more flights to wherever you need to go. Satellite passes an hour ago show the C-130 still on the ground but there is activity, it appears that the attackers are repairing it or trying to at least, we expect flight capability at any moment and it is at least 2 hours flying time from there to here. If they fly low, we will not know where they are until they are close or are caught on another satellite pass. They can fly under the radar coverage all the way here or most of the way to the pole and easily escape over the ocean without our knowing unless they are found by one of the ships traveling around. They can be in South America in less than 5 hours if they were able to make it that far but we doubt they will try that way and now that I know what they are. I hope to hell that they do try to come here instead so we have a hope to destroy them here and not let them get away and spread this curse." Mayors took another page from an inside pocket. "This is the list of commands and meanings that McCormack put into the C-130, you will need to know what the plane is going to do if you are going to be able to stop it or even catch it."

Blade read the note and closed his eyes. He nodded to Sheila as he gave the note to Whistler. Sheila was not the one most comfortable with speeches but this was her field and her research, she was going to have to be the one to break the bad news to the Colonel. "Your day just keeps getting worse and worse sir, sorry." She said. "We knew a lot before we came here but more research has just brought more questions though I think the questions are answered now and they are not going to be answers you will want to hear but, you are going to have to listen, sorry."

Sheila opened up a small netbook computer and attached a pocket sized projector to an adapter and plugged it into a USB port. The lights were turned off and the heavy shades drawn, Mayors was not in the mood for a movie but he knew this was going to be a show he could not afford to miss.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

October 28 2009. The patch of wall lit up with several shots of the attack on the rescue team and the aftermath. Several shots were skipped quickly until one which showed the positions of the holes where the attackers had hidden. Sheila spoke more confidently now. "This shows an outdated attack cluster and this arrangement was only known to have been used a few times and only by 3 units. Each unit disappeared and nobody has ever found any trace of them, until now we believe. The 3 units were all mountain assault groups and were trained and equipped to survive for weeks or months in icy situations without assistance. They have lasted a little longer than that though and so far we estimate that they have lasted here since they disappeared in the closing days of World War 2." Sheila took a moment to read some notes and began flashing pictures on the wall. "We have gained some background on a secret Nazi plan to seed the planet with Aryan vampires in order to ensure the race would survive and succeed over all others. 5 units were picked and 2 of those have been rumored to have been sent to the rain forest in order to find ways to survive exposure to sunlight. We knew the others were mountain squads but we were never able to find any recorded mention of them anywhere, they supposedly left on the U-Boat 505 which was reported lost at sea somewhere around the southernmost tip of Africa, everyone thought that they were trying to reach the US and settle in Alaska or in Peru. No remains of the sub were ever found and nobody could ever remember engaging any subs so far south and no sonar mapping ever turned up any wreckage either. People thought there must have been a new weapon on board which exploded and destroyed the sub so much that there were no pieces large enough to be found by sonar. No survivor ever turned up either and that was strange after all these years if there were any survivors at all. The sub and its crew were a mystery for all researchers and historians, it was considered lost until today when the sonar pass over the ocean side cavern turned up a return which matches the size and shape of this sub exactly. Every sub has slight differences from each other but they are too small to see normally but the radar sweep was done at a very low altitude and the U-505 was a very special boat. It had an array of 12 containers arranged along its sides, it was rumored that they held components to the ultimate solution for the Nazi victory, a weapon so powerful and unstoppable that there would be no defense against it. It looks like the containers may have been caskets carrying the new vampire breeds. The sub itself had a crew of over 40 submariners and a count on the radar returns show a compliment of over 23 which suggests the crew were either replaced or turned into vampires. There is no reason for them being here, even if they heard about the fall of Berlin on the radio, it would still be suicide to stay here and not land somewhere that there was a far more available food source. All they have here are animals and even they are almost non-existent in that region of the Ice."

Kim stood up next and began discussing the technical side of the meeting. "The sub is a diesel and electric boat which means that they can pass almost undetected through most places due to their ability to run on battery power and not have an engine running. It is only good for a certain distance before the engines have to be turned on again and the batteries charged, the batteries also get weak with time and have to be replaced and that is harder to hide. It could be used to ferry people and supplies back and forth but we have not figured out yet why they are here and how they are getting food in without being discovered for so long. They could have a base somewhere along the coastline of South America and we have sent a request for satellite coverage to scout possible locations. Right now it appears as if everyone was getting ready to board the sub but we believe that a number of them will try to fly the plane out or fly it here as a distraction while the others either escape or travel here as quick as possible to aid in launching an attack on us. We have to find them and take them out, if these have managed to do what I think they have, we are all in a lot of trouble."

Sheila spoke again and began displaying slides as she continued. "The 3 units were all highly skilled and an absolute threat to everyone they met, we feel that the group we are looking at now is led by Commandant Braun who was the highest decorated and respected mountain squad leader in the Nazi regime. He has won the Iron Cross early in his career and also added many extra abilities to his accomplishments, he is a jumpmaster, pilot, field commander and capable of taking control of a ship or sub and using it to fulfill almost any mission, at least any sub built earlier than 1945. This is a man to be scared of, he was trained in varying skills and combat methods and drilled his men to the point of death for several but not one ever left or asked to be transferred, his men are completely loyal to him and have obviously followed him to the end of the earth. Match a vampire to his tactical knowledge and you have someone nearly impossible to outflank or outwit, increase his strength and knowledge and we have a serious problem. We have 3 possible scenarios and none of them are good for us."

Sheila nodded to Blade as she sat down. Blade stood up and began to pace, time was moving on and he wanted to leave and get to the fight but he knew the SOF would arrive in a few minutes and he could already hear the engines pass overhead as the plane conducted a fly-by to inspect the runway condition. "The radar sweep over the remote cavern shows the sub ready to pack and leave, the smaller of the other 2 is thought to be a storage and staging area due to the small lines radiating from it. Looks like they are tunnels which lead to openings in the Ice and it looks like this is the way that they crept up on the science team and the rescue crew. The large cavern confused us even more than it confuses your people but we had no idea why they would hide out here in the summer. This is perfect during the winter when they have 24 hour night but no use to them when the sun is up 24 hours a day for 4 months. The 21 openings that were found look like they are only a few foot to a few inches below the Ice surface and they had to have been dug out from below or they would have fallen in. Blight came up with the idea and it is perfect, devious and twisted enough to be a Nazi plan as well as smart too. These guys may be using the Ice as training and improving ground. We are not sure if it is possible but we think that they may have begun exposure therapy on the vampires in order to allow them to acclimatize to the UV rays. They begin by scraping up towards the surface and stop when it is painful but not burning them. Over the months and years they have been here they may have kept getting closer and closer until they were able to walk around naked without being killed. We think there are 3 groups of 7 levels in the holes and that means we are looking at 7 bloodsuckers at least but no idea how many they could have made."

Blade paused before continuing. "Much of this depends on how long it takes and how many they have brought down and turned. If we are lucky there will only be the original group due to them not being able to find other Aryan pure bloods but if they let the standards slip. There could be dozens or hundreds running around anywhere the sub could reach, if they were able to import the Nazi's who escaped justice after the war then there could be a whole race of them now. They could sail in and out of here and nobody would notice, staying just below the surface and allowing the engines to take in air through a snorkel would make them invisible on the surface but still allow them to move around. Sonar  
might confuse them with a fishing boat and not bother looking at them, they could run underneath large ships and not be heard even running at full throttle, overhead passes with satellites could be predicted and the engines turned off to hide the heat signature. There are a number of ways they could travel about without being found and it looks like they have managed such for some time as well as being able to find spare parts and fuel to keep things working. We think they have been able to keep up to date which means they either have a way to get materials brought to them for study and if that is the case it means they are fully up to date on modern tactics and weaponry and may even have such with them. They may also have traveled to South America for training and testing or feasting and that means they are well versed not only in weapons but also the use of such."

Blade glanced around to ensure he had everybody's full attention before finishing. "Our worst case scenario is that they have been using the sub to transport kidnap victims down to them for feeding or turning, if that is the case, there could be thousands of suckers set back North already with little or no way to find them. They could just be sending down collected blood to feed on which reduces risk for them and prolongs supplies. If they are also capable of withstanding the UV light because of being turned by those with immunity to sunlight then we cannot hunt them as usual. It is possible that they hid here and never left the Ice but these guys are not going to sit around and let the world move on without being in touch with it, we know they are too ambitious to hide and they are too disciplined to rush anything when they feel that they are basically immortal. If they have also been able to get used to garlic and steel as well, we are in large trouble but it is highly unlikely that they can change what is inside. The skin can be treated and made to resist UV but we already saw that they were burning and likely not able to withstand a very heavy hit. The shots which hit them caused a large degree of smoke to be emitted and it is possible that they will die from the UV if they are cut and left open for any length of time or the hole is too big for them to heal quickly. Some were vaporized when the C-130 engines took out the rescue team, they became ash because the UV was able to get inside their protection and that makes it hopeful."

Col Mayors sat very still, he watched the slides as they passed on the wall but he was beginning to understand that this was completely real and that Blade was possibly not just a mad murderer after all, he heard the bus pull up outside and knew the SOF and Ice rescue team had arrived. "You have authorization for complete control and execution of this mission." He said to Blade. "I am sorry I ever doubted you or thought stories of such were fantasy. I am going to meet the Ops guys and let them know that they are to take orders from you and your people. You obviously know a lot more about what we are going up against and how to take them down. I came in here to tell you that there was no way I would ever authorize the requests you asked for regarding the sonar radar and satellite coverage. I am now sending the request up as far as I can go with my fullest support, whatever we can give you, it is yours." Mayors left and moment later a shuttle bus driver entered. The rescue squad and another team were at the Ice runway and waiting, they were ready to go and Blade was holding them up. 1 minute later they were on board Ivan the Terrabus and 7 minutes after that they were at the runway. Planes usually required safety checks upon landing and as part of a preflight inspection, this plane was being refueled with engines running and loaders moving, 20 minutes later they were discussing the attack pan as the C-130 lifted up into the bright sky and headed to the edge of the Ice.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Senior Airman Hill was furious, she was the loadmaster and this was her bird. She had never allowed anyone to open a pallet in flight and these people had opened all 3 pallets during takeoff and were handing out weapons and rounds to everyone, even the civilian rescue team. Hill was new to the Ice but she had been here since the first week of October and knew the rescue team well, she still did not want anybody loading weapons while in her baby. The SOF guys were clearing magazines and loading them with the new rounds being passed out like candy at Halloween. The big black man who seemed to be in charge just stood back and allowed his people to take care of everything, there was a large red headed man who seemed to lift heavy weapons with fingers as if they weighed nothing at all. The mousy little woman was detailing attack strategies and the more mature woman was handing out knives and rounds and ensuring the SOF people were paying close attention. The plan was simple in detail, the plane would land and turn around so the tail was facing the cavern, a .50 Cal heavy weapon would be used to send specially equipped rounds into the Ice and clear a path to the caverns edge. The rescue team would be escorted in 3 groups and take 7 of the hollowed out tubes each, crevasses were a danger on the Ice and they were going to have to work hard to ensure there were no hidden surprises while getting to the tubes and allowing the SOF to place explosive charges. The charges would open the top of the tubes and Blade would rappel down first, his team would be directly behind and half of the SOF would provide covering fire on top while the others followed down and helped secure the cavern itself. Blade was more concerned with charges inside the cavern itself, blowing the roof would cause a cave-in that would be hard for him to get out of alive and there would be no hope for anyone else down there if it came down on them.

They were going to have to search an unknown cavern, secure the zone and then begin searching the tunnels for signs of remaining vampires or familiars. The SOF was not happy about being relegated to backup but they were given their orders, Blade was in charge and not to be disobeyed under any circumstances. They were only 10 minutes into the flight when Hill passed the news to them, the C-130 was no longer at the air strip, they had managed to get it repaired and the last satellite pass had shown it headed north but banking towards their location. They already knew what McCormack had done so they adjusted their course to the south in order to avoid coming too close to each other. This could be a good sign or a very bad sign, the vampires may have all gotten aboard and were now trying to escape which meant the sub may have not worked or they were panicking but that was not likely. It was far more certain that they were dividing their forces and attacking in order to provide a distraction for the main base to escape on the sub. This meant that the caverns would likely be deserted and the sub gone but Blade and his team did not believe that Braun would walk away without making others pay for disturbing his plans.

There was one other factor which concerned Blade. The retrovirus which killed Drake had died out. The strain had traveled the planet a few times before fading out and dying, there was now nothing to prevent the vampires from returning and thriving in the real world. The team were trying to pass this information on to the new SOF squad, the 2 other squads were based at McMurdo with instructions on how to deal with any uninvited guests and a pallet of weapons to use during the welcome. The 6 man squad was tough and able to follow commands, they had already chosen the members who would secure the rescue team and place the charges, Blue team would escort Mike first and to the left as  
that was going to be the longest route and the one most likely to have trouble. Red and Green teams would take Buddy and Sam, Joanne and Luke were standby for emergency and would be used to extract personnel from cave-ins or crevasses. The SOF squad wore no name tags and used only color code and numbers to identify each member. They were all pretty close to each other in terms of build which would make it somewhat more difficult to distinguish them from each other once they donned masks and gloves. Blue 1 was squad leader and Green 1 was second in command. Condor would be operating the .50 Cal from the loading ramp but he was from a separate unit and added at the last minute. They were still an hour out and everything was running smooth, satellite passes showed no activity and ships were now being sent in from 5 countries to conduct sonar picket sweeps around the Ice edge close to the suspected landing platform which the radar sweep had found.

The Ice was a continent surrounded by ice and water and it was hard to predict where the sub may appear from and where they could be intercepted but all efforts were being put into the location, capture and containment of the sub and its occupants. The sub had the advantage though, it had over 60 years of being here to explore the landmass beneath and map out its contours and plot escape routes, they could travel around with sonar reduced to levels low enough not to be detected over a mile away but powerful enough to verify position and location on the planned escape route. They could stay submerged and turn off almost all equipment to make the batteries last longer and draw air through the snorkel from one of the numerous air pockets trapped under the Ice or hide in one of the larger pockets and be passed by completely without detection. They had been on the Ice long enough to know where they could hide and for how long, they knew how to get in and out without detection and they understood tactics that had been forgotten generations ago. It was possible that they could even swim out through the torpedo tubes and escape or attack that way, if they had torpedo's left it was unlikely that they would still be capable of being used unless they too had been maintained elsewhere, if they wanted to stay hidden, there may be no way to ever find them.

"This is not looking good. " Blade had been quiet since they had taken off but he knew what everyone was thinking. "We have a possibility of 3 attack points, the sub, the C-130 and the cavern itself. The bird can fly 80 people without effort and a lot more if they stand up, the sub has a crew of 40 or so and room for another 90 people for short trips, they can suffer more so I guess up to 150 in the sub. The cavern is so large that there is no way to decide how many might have been there over the years and where they are now or how many are there now. If the bird is headed to McMurdo with up to 80 bloodsuckers on board, they Icers are as good as dead. We now have to possibility of another 800 people being turned but most of them will die quickly through fighting each other for food and caught in the sunlight unless the immunity is passed on through the bite also. If that is so, we will have 800 day walkers to contend with as well as 3 more C-130s on the ground which can be flown to the Pole or north to New Zealand. They can get to Australia or even as far as South America and almost all of the flying can be done beneath the radar screens and between satellite passes which means there will be little or no hope of capturing them before they land somewhere and Start infecting or spreading out. The sub has a range of about 600 miles with full fuel tanks and charged batteries, if they cut power and drift in the Antarctic current, they can go much further and there is no way to tell where they could turn up next and how well prepared they were for escape. We have their file photos from 60 years ago and that will help to track them down but they can do a whole lot of damage before we notice them and can get assets in the area to take them out. We are now in tourist season here as well, if they take over any of the cruise ships, we are in some serious trouble but we already had warnings sent out to the ships not to take on anybody under any circumstances. If they have their own ship somewhere there is nothing we can do about it and can only hope we find it before they manage to escape to it somehow. This could be the worst thing ever to happen simply because the old bloodsuckers were smart enough not to draw attention and cause panic, these dogs will rely on panic to help their escape which means they will have no trouble with stirring trouble up in order to make it easier to slip away. The only good thing about this is that it's going to be a black man who takes these Aryan mothers out." Blade smiled darkly as he thought of the irony.

"Blade" Whistler replied, "Don't forget that these guys have likely had access to all manner of training and time to perfect many forms of fighting, they could be a formidable force and even if they have not been able to improve their combat abilities, they are far more used to the local conditions than you are. They have proven that they can fight naked while we have to wear thick clothes to stop freezing, my arrows travel faster here but they lose distance due to the thin dry air, battery weapons are depleted after a few moments and even the spikes and knives handle differently. These guys have had 60 years of being here and they are the type who are dedicated enough to stay here that long, they are likely to be dedicated enough to train hard every day and all day long. We are going to be outnumbered, outclassed and now we have special operations forces, outsourced. This fight may be fought in tight spaces like the sub where your blade will be no use to you or in an area like the cavern where getting close enough to hit the opponent will be a challenge in itself. We are in a serious situation and I have a real problem with it, my I-Pod battery will not last long enough for all this and I forgot my emergency charger." Whistler smiled with complete confidence as she put her ear buds in and began getting into fight mode, there was not long left and she wanted to be ready for the fight as soon as she hit the floor.

"Yeah" King laughed, "It has been a while since we had a fight worth getting out of bed for. Please, once we get there, send some of them into the plane so I can take care of them without having to walk out in the cold, I would like to do my part but I am damned well not looking forward to snow and ice, do I look like I come from North Dakota?"

Mike looked at his team, he felt confident about the SOF escort but knowing that there were going to have one of these vampire hunters with each of them was not comforting. Blight was going to be with Mike, Sam would be looked over by Whistler and the comedian would be with Buddy, Mike was not sure if he was more scared of the vampires or the people who were sent to kill them. Buddy was ready though, he didn't say much but he was always reliable and could be counted on under even the most stressful conditions, his large 300 pound frame moved well and fast which was surprising to many but only for a few seconds, after a few seconds they were usually surprised that they were dying and he was killing another vampire already. Buddy was a Pacific Islander and his knowledge of different fighting styles and ability to shrug off attacks made him a formidable first line of offence. Some people mistook his quiet ways for stupidity but he was simply one who learned not to say anything unless it was thought out and worthy of hearing by others. King and Whistler had been with Blade for some years now since they provided aid in his fight against Drake, Whistler provided aid while King was merely comic relief but he had bulked up more and cut out some of the joking. He had not grown more serious, just bored with the low level of vampire pretenders which were coming up through the cracks in the pavement. Kim and Sheila were new to this team but they had been part of different night stalkers teams for several years, their expertise was beneficial to many teams and they were among the few who moved between cells.

Hill came back and gave the signal, they were 5 minutes away and coming in hard, this was not going to be pretty or clean but if all things went well it would be efficient and final for the vampires. The pallets were all secured and the .50 Cal was attached to the door frame as Hill began opening the ramp, she had never seen a plane land with the ramp down before and now she was going to attempt such, this was not going to be a good day she thought. "Just throw it all the way down and say goodbye to it. "Blue 1 said as he closed in beside her. "The landing will rip it from the hinges and send it off into the snow and the best we can hope for is that it does not come up and hit us in the tail, we would survive it of course as we are already landed but we are stuck here until rescued. Let it down horizontally to the landing struts and when we hit the snow it should shear off cleanly and quick and that will embed it into the snow instead of allowing it to tumble and be a concern to us." Blue 1 walked away and took position beside Mike. Hill looked at her landing ramp and said a small farewell to it and a prayer that they all come out of this well enough to be court-martialed for causing deliberate damage to US property. There was only 1 minute left, time to sit down, strap in and belt up.

Combat landings were rarely seen outside of an active war zone or training run, this landing would have scared even combat fighter pilots. Capt Fields had enough experience with war in Iraq and had been a prisoner of war for 7 months before escaping, he had no intention of being shot down or taken captive ever again. He came in 2 miles to the side of the air strip and turned the large transport plane on its wingtip, losing 500 foot altitude and turning 90 degrees in only 3 seconds before leveling and straightening out. He headed at full speed for the end of the runway and moments before reaching it he pulled back on the yolk and to the side to gain 200 foot and return to his previous heading. The flight crew and Hill were all looking through the windows to try and find any shooters which could cause problems but they appeared to be safe for the moment. As Fields reached the end of the runway he pivoted the plane over once more and began a rapid descent which brought them to the runways end at a level of 100 foot. It was going to be hard on the landing gear but the C-130 was built tough for any treatment in any conditions, he pushed the stick forward and flared out seconds before driving the nose into the ice. The big plane did not act immediately but it brought its nose up in time slamming the landing gear into the snow and leaving large gouges that would have to be avoided if they were to take off again.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The loading ramp detached itself perfectly and it slid along behind the craft for 20 meters before embedding itself in the soft snow which had built up on the runway. Fields brought the engines to maximum power and appeared as if he was going to take off once more but as he reached the half way mark he eased off on the power and allowed to large plane to slow slightly. He brought the plane almost to the far end of the air strip before turning sharply and applying the brakes hard. The C-130 shuddered and pitched forward before rocking backwards and settling down. Blue team were first on the Ice and firing shots randomly into the snow surrounding the craft, Green team took the left side and Red team exited through the forward escape hatches and began firing into the snow to clear a path around them from any attackers. Red team struck first, a spray of bullets caused a movement in the snow only 5 meters away and the team leader readjusted his aim to that point just as a naked man leapt from the hole and began advancing, the team leader sent a 3 round burst into the center of mass and the naked man disintegrated immediately. "Good news." King said beside him, "Means that they are a vulnerable to our rounds as before and that makes everyone's life a lot easier now." King began walking forward slowly and saw a slight movement in another region close by, he was about to throw his knife into the snow when an arrow flew past him and embedded itself for an instant before falling down. A soft red glow could be seen for a second as the vampire was eradicated. King looked over his shoulder and saw that Whistler was already releasing another arrow into the snow where it struck something and fell as that object disappeared. "Thanks for the assist, please allow me to gather your arrows like the puppy I am." King said as he began retrieving her spent shots and throwing them in her direction for reuse.

Blue team was having a more difficult time, 12 attackers were coming quickly and the Green team had to fend off 8 from their side. The attackers were now aware that they were not invulnerable and they were coming in hard and fast. Knives were now being thrown at the teams which caused them to have to duck while trying to return fire. The attackers were very accurate and the knives were hitting the body armor and drawing blood. Blade walked slowly out and took a fast oversight. "Clear right for me and I will take care of the left, please don't confuse me with the real bad guys and shoot me, I do not want to find out how prone I am to being killed by these rounds today thank you." He said as he  
walked to meet the 5 attackers remaining on the Green team side, Green team began firing at the 7 attackers still advancing on Blue team.

Blade walked slowly towards the 5 enemy, he was still not used to walking on the snow and had to watch his footing as he prepared for the fight ahead. The attackers had already thrown one knife each and held the last knife in their hand still, 3 approached in a reversed triangle formation, In an instant Blade had his sword out and thrust it through the head of the last attacker behind the other 2. He flicked his wrist to the right and swung his body to that side, the sword followed and sliced through the neck of the second opponent. Blade continued his turn until his back was facing the last man and he brought his hand across his chest before quickly reversing the direction of its travel and bringing the sword tip to his right side before thrusting it backwards and driving the point into the sternum of the last attacker just as he prepared to strike. The other 2 looked at each other briefly and began moving farther apart before approaching, Blade was impressed, these guys had just watched 3 of their own die and they were still professional enough to think tactics and press the attack. Blade threw his sword up high overhead but the attackers never took their eyes from him, he did not expect anyone this professional to be so easily distracted but his hands were now free and he grasped a Yo-Yo in each. He spun and flung them out at angles that were not near the enemy, his spin continued and as the Yo-Yo's reached the ends of their strings he jerked them hard and sent them moving toward the attackers. The Yo-Yo wire was treated silver which could be used to cut a head off but the Yo-Yo's also had another edge, small sharp blades were embedded around its circumference and these blades dug in deep to the exposed flesh of the vampires and turned them to ash in an instant. Blade flicked his wrist and the Yo-Yo's returned to his hands where they were put away quickly, he caught the hilt of his sword as it came back to the ground again and began walking towards the 2 remaining vampires but saw them vanish in a cloud of ash as the SOF concentrated firepower at them. It had only taken a few seconds but they had taken out 3 squads, not a bad Start. "Nice work with the toys." Blue 1 called out as Blade passed and headed back into the C-130.

"Wait till you see what I can do with a Rubik Cube." Blade replied as he passed by.

Blade felt slightly dizzy, the smell of blood was close by and he had not taken a draw on his serum device in over 4 hours, he needed a hit and then get back to work again. He withdrew the canister of serum and placed it in his mouth, there was nothing. He sucked hard again and took it out to inspect it closer. The microscopic jets which delivered the serum had frozen over; he rubbed it rapidly to warm it up and got only a partial dose from the device. Kim watched concerned and reached into a bag tied to her leg, she called to Blade and tossed a small packet to him, he caught it and gave her a condescending look. "Do I really look like a Granola eater? If I look like I want an energy bar, just send me a penguin to play with."

Kim was used to him and ignored the remark. "If you want to be anything in an hour, you had better eat that serum bar, we made it 3 months ago for cold weather regions but were not going to test it for another few months, didn't seem to be anywhere that they would ever be needed but always good to be prepared. We do not believe it will be instant or as effective as the serum device but it will work here when everything else freezes over. You should drink some water with it in order to speed up the absorption rate but the bar is designed to make you salivate more so you can get it into your blood as quickly as possible. Less convenient, more weight and slower reaction but, we believe it will still work."

"You believe it will still work? That makes me feel warm and fuzzy when I know that the only source of sustenance I have anywhere near me, is you guys." He replied as he opened the bar and took a large bite which he spat out right away. "Did you have to make it taste like dog crap soaked in cat piss?" He asked

"Sorry" King said as he zipped up his jacket and came alongside, "We thought that after eating something that tasted so bad, no matter how desperate you were that you would rather not have anything in case it tasted as bad as the bar."

Kim threw the bag at Blade, "There are 11 more bars in the bag and each should see you through 6 hours of inactivity or 25 minutes of training based on the previous record of serum usage. We expect a lag between eating and effect, about 3 minutes so do not let yourself get too depleted before eating another bar or you may have gone too far and turn again before it gets in your system. We can warm your serum device up by placing it in our armpits but that is going to interfere with our ability to fight and if you leave it on the plane to warm up it will not be available to use. Bars are the new way to get what you need in a way that is easy to carry and use but you are not going to see any improvements in the flavor dept until we hire a cook instead of living on microwave meals. We gotta eat crap all day, you are just getting a taste of how it is to be us." She smiled and watched him grimace as he ate the bar and thought how she could make it taste worse for the next batch, something with apricot perhaps.

The 3 teams were already dispatched, Blade, Whistler and King were walking straight towards the camp, Blade had the lead and was hoping for more action but he could already see that there were no more likely attack positions left. They waited for the other teams to complete their tasking and then Whistler and King withdrew to a safe distance. Blade nodded and stepped into the middle on an explosive pack, Blue 1 pressed a remote detonator and the 21 charges blew immediately, Blade fell down 30 meters and the wire harness stopped him a second before he landed in the cavern below. He scanned the underside of the ceiling for traps or hidden attackers but there was nothing to be seen, he called out to the teams and 3 seconds later they were all down and setting up a perimeter defense. The rescue teams remained above with the protection of Sheila and Kim as well as the C-130 crew. Blue team began clearing the cavern from the left as Red took the right, Green remained central to provide covering fire if needed.

Blade strode around the space and admired the work. The cavern ranged from 20 to 35 meters and encompassed half a football field in area. There were several supports but the ceiling appeared to be designed to provide its own integrity. There were several small tunnels which ended at solid doors and they were going to be investigated once the main area was secured. Racks were arranged along the walls and several still held weapons and training tools, many of the tools looked brand new, they were getting materials and supplies in and that made things harder as it meant they may be able to escape even with the restrictions in place. There was no point in thinking about such things now. There was a job to do here and he had to be ready for anything. Blade left the SOF teams to clear the main cavern and he walked to the secondary and smaller cave but it was a lab, there were records and computers left on the tables but nothing they could use right away so he left it for the SOF teams. There was nothing left for him to do right now, he knew the Nazis would not hang around here when there were more important things to be done. The vampires up top must have been left to die as a diversion or delay tactic and told that they would be picked up on the next trip, these guys really were dedicated or dumb and Blade was not sure which was the more dangerous.

Whistler was happy to be moving again, she had to dress light in order to be able to use the bow correctly but she was now armed with the handgun loaded with UV rounds and covered in silver nitrate and garlic essence which delivered a combination punch to the intended victims. She had a light coat on with the right arm zippered up all the way for ease of movement in case the bow would be required again. The zipper was cold on her skin but she was getting used to it or she was losing sensation, she did not care right now and would deal with it later, if there was a later. King was taking lead and walked far enough ahead to be a warning if nothing else, he was having a fun time being frozen and used a bait. Blade strolled slowly; his senses should be fully alert here with no artificial scents to interfere with locating and tracking his quarry. He knew that the serum levels were low and he was not at his fullest capacity but he felt that he should be better that he was at this stage. He could detect some scents in the passage and thought that there were dozens of personnel who had used it lately but only a few who were here in the last few hours. Blade was still trying to pick out individual scents when the first explosion rang out, the ceiling ahead of them began to collapse slowly and King was close by but looked unhurt. King was looking up "I think the blast was too weak to bring the roof down, we should be safe but if we are trapped on that side it could slow the search and escape section drastically. I think it is empty here but we should make sure, I should go in and look around, Abby can keep an eye on you until you begin to look better and then follow me or wait. I think we are only 20 yards away from the landing and it should not take long to verify if it is empty or not, the guys up top were likely the ones who set the charges on their way out.

Blade sat down as Whistler handed him another bar, "You need a boost, we were not sure about how much would be required in a bar to equate the booster levels but the bar may not be metabolized as well as the delivery system variant. They have a timed delay method built in as well to make sure the dose is delivered over a certain time frame and be more beneficial but it may be too little over to long a time or there may be a burst effect as it builds up in your system. We still do not know what will happen if you are exposed to too much serum at once. This is all new and risky Blade, we are learning as well but you have no choice but to eat at least 1 more bar now and try to work through the effects later."

Blade ate 2 bars and sat for another 30 seconds before the color began coming back again. "I think it is beginning to work but we are going to run out fast at this rate. In future, when you are working on something new for me, don't wait for Christmas before you let me know about it." He stood up and stretched, winked and began walking towards the landing entrance. King was standing at the edge of a large shelf carved out of the Ice itself, steps were cut into the sides and the ceiling was low and wide with enough room for several people to walk around at once or to move equipment with ease. Crates were placed orderly about the area and several racks of tools were also available, it looked like a whole maintenance bay with generators and fuel storage tanks set off to the side and vented below the water surface which explained how nobody had ever seen exhaust plumes from the base. There were 2 small modern boats in the water, it was obvious that they were prepared for almost all minor and perhaps some larger repairs here if there was a way to block the passage in and drain it down to make it a dry dock. Blade walked into a store room and was face to face with 6 World War 2 torpedo's, they were in racks and looked in perfect condition, the only thing wrong about them was the wiring that had been connected between them and the timer the wiring ran into. In the room were also several large steel and stainless steel liquid gas containers, this was the fuel that the torpedo's mixed to provide power to their propellers and it was highly flammable. It was time to leave and the timer told them that they had 9 minutes before the whole complex would be just a story without physical proof.

Blade had only taken basic bomb systems training when the night stalkers had held refresher courses, they had to regularly build devices and it was good to understand how to take them apart in case the situation changed or if they ran into a device built into a defense grid. Whistler and King came in and Started quietly, Whistler was top of her class in most courses but she preferred to get close and personal with vampires and bombs were not her strong suit. King had done better but after 30 seconds of searching for a safe way to disconnect, he shook his head and walked back. "Well, it will be the best blow job on record but if we blow chunks here, we leave flaky white stuff over a 3 mile area and may actually cause the world to move, or at least cause the Ice sheet to move and calve off. That means a possible cooling of the immediate water and spreading out towards the other land masses which would help cool down the planet for a few months until the ice melted and the sea levels begin to rise which also means that the smaller surface area of Antarctica will reflect less heat into space and cause more warming within 3 years which will cause further erosion of the Ice and more sea level rises. What?" He asked as Blade and Abby Started openmouthed at him. "It was a long flight down and someone gave me a DVD player with An Inconvenient Truth. I was desperate for something to pass the time and I guess it stuck but don't worry, it will pass from my memory in a few hours and I will again be your friendly mindless joker and I can't wait for that to happen so I can stop thinking of the skyscrapers with 2nd floor aquariums."

Blade shook the shock away. "We have to get that man a girlfriend or a better DVD collection for the quiet times." He said as he approached the timer. "The sad thing is that we have about 8 minutes left to live and the last thought I will have is of King actually knowing something. I think I would have been happy dying without knowing he had a brain that was wasted for so long."

"Thanks a lot" King replied as he reentered the gas room. "I think you may live long enough to have another thought though and come to appreciate my wasted life. Extreme cold can change electrical current flow and slow down the timer, cooling it enough will cause the crystal to crack and may break the connection in the right way for the circuit to collapse on itself without closing and setting off the bomb. We have enough cold here to do the trick but not fast enough. The water will do it a lot faster if we can shove the whole setup in at once, we can use the straps here to make sure everything stays close enough together not to pull wiring out and hopefully we can gain a few seconds or even a minute or more but we have to act fast. We have less than 8 minutes left and it will be close but if we can drop it deep enough fast enough, we may be able to spread the shockwave out low and wide enough to have far less effect on the Ice and possibly offset the breakup partially or completely, with a lot of Luck. Yeah, they also had Lethal Weapon and The Hunt for Red October on cable last week."

He was taking straps and handing them to Whistler and Blade so they could prepare the new depth charge and get it falling as far and as fast as possible. "If these bloodsuckers planned this, it may be that they have property at high levels or in cold regions where the retrovirus didn't work as effectively. If the cold has stopped the virus from working, we will have a lot of planet to cover in order to find these guys and take them out." Blade shared as he finished tightening the last strap and stepped aside, the 3 warriors came around behind the rig, there was just over 7 minutes left and they would not get it as deep as they wanted but they knew it would be better than nothing. The worst thing would be if the cavern was made with a hallow bottom as a dry dock, the torpedoes may not sink more than 30 to 70 foot and hit. Blade pushed and it the torpedoes and gas tanks began moving slowly, King and Whistler began helping but they were not much aid against the weight though every little helped.

They got some speed built up and within seconds the rig was on the edge of the drop and going over. It hit the water with a loud series of splashes as the individual components bit at different times, they bobbed for a second before the weight overcame the buoyancy of the tanks and torpedoes and it began to fall, only to stop 20 foot below the surface."A shelf, ledge or an outcropping? What the hell could be there to stop it?" Abby asked as she took her jacket off and prepared to jump into the freezing water below. A loud crack reverberated through the landing area and the tanks slowly settled and began falling again and dragging the rest of the bomb with them. "A partial ice shelf that must have been formed for sub repairs but not extending the whole length of the landing area. It must have been a few feet thick but not strong enough to hold all that weight for long or the heat of the tanks or shock of the impact, whatever it was, let's hope it did not slow it down too much."

The team knew that they could do no more now and they began moving quickly to the large cavern once more, it took 2 minutes to connect with the SOF and call the retreat. They had already cleared the main cavern and gathered 7 sacks of equipment which they were taking back. Green 1 pointed to 4 escape routes and everybody ran to the closest set of Ice stairs and to the surface. 1 minute later they were running towards the parked C-130, the warning was called and the plane was moving as soon as they hit the deck. Whistler explained the situation to Sheila and Kim and they got on the radio to McMurdo immediately and warned them to expect trouble and Start seismic recording equipment to highest sensitivity. There was nothing they could do now but clear the area and hope the cold or depth was enough to prevent a global catastrophe. The plane lifted and circled for several more minutes and no sign of disturbance was seen, there may not be any sign of rupture right away and if the explosion created a big enough gas bubble beneath the Ice it may take days before it found a weak spot and erupted upwards and did what damage it would. If a gas bubble had formed beneath the Ice it was possible to tap the cavity and bleed the gases off slowly and with minimum risk to stability but that was for another team to determine at some future point in time. For now it appeared safe enough and there were more important things to take care of, Blade asked for an update and was informed that McCormack's programming worked perfectly, they were now on course to the radar equipped C-130 and they were probably expected.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Braun was furious; he had already beaten several members of his crew and ordered repairs to be conducted. It did not take long for the news to come back and he knew what the answer would be, there was no possible repairs that could be done that would get them flying again and the crash was not the fault of the men in the cockpit. They were not far from McMurdo and suddenly the plane developed a life of its own, warning signals began flashing and warning bells and sirens caused a deafening cacophony on the flight deck. Systems that had looked fine were now reporting terminal faults, the oil line that was fixed before takeoff was now showing another rupture and a shudder was developing in the airframe which was getting harder to control. The plane was not going to make it and there was soon going to be nothing that could be done to keep her flying. They had to choose whether to Start looking for a safe landing area and hike in to town or keep flying as far as possible and hope for a safe landing that they could walk away from without too much damage. Braun chose the latter, they had to get to McMurdo as fast as possible and get to another plane, the GPS system showed that they were only 5 miles away and flying at 200 foot elevation would hide them from the radar and sight for as long as possible. The plane had suddenly pitched violently down and ploughed into the snow beneath, there was no indication of any trouble which would cause such. The pilots were able to bring the nose up slightly but it was not enough and the impact had caused great damage to some of the passengers. Braun was going to have to lead a team into town and capture a helicopter and get it back out here to pick up the rest and then fly out but he was going to make a statement that the word was going to hear about. They had kept silent and hidden for a very long time and had heard that their kind had been destroyed and nobody had known or cared, that was going to change and  
payment would have to be made for the losses of the past.

"Mien Herr." Sgt Rimmer spoke as he approached. He fell to the ground and rolled from the power of the blow from Braun. He stood quickly and smoothed out his clothing before continuing in a clipped and precise British accent. "I am sorry sir, it appears that the GPS was faulty, we are still some 7 miles from McMurdo and it looks like it will not be an easy hike to there. We are at 25% effectiveness at this time and have 2 squads which can move out immediately to make the town while the others provide cover and tend to the injured as well as secure the data. Hamlin and Faust are ready with their groups to escort you or to follow your orders as directed, the other have sustained casualties of over 30% which makes them vulnerable. I apologize for my failure earlier sir, there was no reason for me to forget my assumed persona and fall back into natural speech patterns, and such shall not happen again I can assure you."

Braun looked for a moment at his second in command, he was a good man and had never failed him before but he had a lot of things to deal with right now, he had a case of highly sensitive data concerning the experiment and blood samples which had not been sent north to the safe house yet. He had only 2 squads of 6 ready and injuries to the other squads which severely hindered their efforts to make a quick and decisive escape. He should not have failed to keep in character and fallen back into the true language, even here when surrounded only by his own kind. He would be punished later for such but now he would be needed to remain with the wreckage and secure it against all attackers until they could all be rescued and removed from this unholy hell on earth.

The injured were being treated with restorative packs of blood, plasma and chemicals found to enhance health, power and concentration but it would take hours for some of them to be ready to march again though at least they would be ready to defend in minutes. He knew that he had to be on his way. They had planned to invade in force and with fear, each member was fully clothed in their military uniforms. These would provide complete confusion and a lessening of morale in the enemy but they were not designed to be marched in for 7 miles on ice and through snow. They were all that they had brought and they would have to do. It would be a forced march and they were taking only what would be required for their survival. They estimated that their physical conditioning could allow them to get to McMurdo in 1 hour and return 20 minutes later with a helicopter and begin shuttling their people out. The 2 squads were ready with restorative packs, it was time to begin moving and the sooner they were in motion the sooner their bodies would produce heat and stave off the ever present cold, even when you were trained to withstand immense cold, it did not mean that you had to like it. Superstition had been bred out of these men many decades ago but the more wary of them wondered if it were wise to send 13 men out on a mission which could determine the whole fate of all who remained.

Blade was anxious 45 minutes to the crash site and then however long it took to land, approach and inspect the empty wreckage or destroy those who stayed to protect it or the injured. He hoped that the plane erupted in flame as he knew that would also kill a large number of bloodsuckers but he had to prepare for an unknown number of enemy troop. He was also working with an unprepared and untested military contingent who had worked very well so far but still had not come fully face to face with what they believed to be nothing more than a story to frighten children and entertain adults. It would be interesting to see how they dealt with a well-prepared bloodsucker once they had to take them down at close range and tried to anticipate their moves which would still be faster than anything they had ever shot at before. Blade was about to have them stand down and only allow his crew to use weapons in the firefight, they were used to this and knew how to preempt the actions of the targets but even they were prone to mistakes. It would be best if there were not many enemy to fight as he could go in alone or have his team work with knives instead of bullets.

"We have to trust them and let them prove themselves one way or the other Blade" Kim had sat down so quietly that Blade was not even aware she was there, he had not known he was so deep in thought and it shocked him alert once more. The serum device was working well now and he was recovering more quickly from the exertions of earlier but he knew he would need to be fully restored before he went into battle with the trained and determined Nazi's that were likely waiting for him. Kim continued quickly but gently before he could begin thinking of reasons to ignore her and do as he wanted. "We all had our first fight and sometimes we didn't make it, some new recruits were unlucky and got killed, others survived and got turned or lost their minds. These ops guys are trained to take on anything and treat everything and everyone as a target and nothing more. Let them try and let them prove what they can and cannot do, we will be standing right behind them and you are going to watch the action from behind us, classic training routine. Let the new guys take the front line and act as fodder while the more experienced stand behind their human shield and direct the action while the commander stands to the back and appreciates how skillful and sacrificial his troops are. We may need these guys and many more like them in the future if the Nazi's have indeed created a new strain and group of vampires but worse than that, if they are able to bring the virus to the remains of Hitler, we could see a whole new Reich. Even if they cannot bring him back, they might be able to bring back Drake and that would be even worse for us. If we have a new group of vampires walking around in daylight as well as night, we will need extra personnel to take shifts on monitoring and possibly even fighting. We need to know if we can count on them, there are not enough Night Stalkers any more Blade, we dwindled and settled down when Drake and all the other biters were wiped out. It was supposed to be the final battle and we are 1 of only 9 groups left active, building up new recruits and training them all takes time and these guys can help us to keep a lid on things while we get new people in and up to speed. If word gets out to the biters who have already escaped that the base camp is destroyed, we will have no control on what they do and if we cannot find where they are, we are blinder than ever because our network is so diminished right now. I don't like using outsiders either but, we do not have enough people inside our system to compete any more. Hell, even King and I talked about settling down last month, we thought it was all over and we were going to be able to go on standby at least."

Blade looked sideways at Kim and then farther along the resting group to King and caught his stare, Blade drew his finger across his throat and King winced and sat down quickly. Blade barely managed to hide his smile.

Hill walked back and spoke into the intercom system. "We are now within visual range of the crash site, we are going to do several passes at extreme range before coming in closer and planning our landing. There are several places that we can set down but we are not sure if it is possible to take off again once we are on the Ice. It looks like deep drifts out here and we might not be able to get enough speed up to lift off or we may break a wheel or something else on the landing. We have radioed McMurdo and they are sending out 2 choppers on a parallel course, they will look for anyone moving towards town but be far enough away not to be targeted by them, we hope. We are going to circle on the Port side so anyone who wants to help plan can get to the lower cockpit level or Start looking out the windows on the left side of the craft." She hung up and returned to her seat at the front of the cabin, she was not happy with the loss of the cargo door and she was less happy with the thought of sustaining even more damage to her bird. The messages was being passed around, some were not able to hear the announcement over the noise of the rushing air 1 minute later they could feel the slight banking to the left and they knew it was time to begin preparing for another final fight.

More than half of the vampire soldiers were at least 80% recovered, more than ready to defend and even storm the incoming plane and take it over. They had not been able to dig in hide holes which meant that they were all exposed and grouped close to the wreckage but far enough from each other that they could not be harmed by a single attack. They watched as the large transport circled slowly and began closing in the radius and descending, it was obvious that they were scouting the crash site as well as possible landing zones and they were getting ready to land soon. Smith and Stern had seniority at the site and they quickly arranged a defensive line along the most likely attack axis. Snow was dug up into small berms and soldiers took positions behind them for the little protection they would provide, they had already been hurt enough and it was important now to maintain as much strength as they could until they were rescued or could depart on their own power. Their restorative packs were not going to last long and they did not know what lay ahead for them.

Blade was not happy, the enemy had dug in and they had a plane wreck to hide behind. The rounds his crew had would not penetrate the barriers unless his people were within 25 meters and that brought them too far within range of the German guns. He needed to pick the odds and make the game play out on his terms, he knew how to do it but it might be too risky for all concerned. This was a volunteer mission though and as he was prepared to discuss it he saw Sheila come back from the cockpit and ask for everyone's attention, "she must be a damn mind reader" he muttered under his breath.

They were all as far forward in the plane as possible to stay away from the noise of the open cargo door and to try to hear what Sheila was saying. "I have a plan that is very dangerous to everyone especially those who land with the plane." That statement raised a few eyebrows with the SOF teams. We have prepared for parachuting into hostile zones before but this is one where we do not want the enemy to see where we are, we have located some places that we feel will work for a modified attack profile and insertion technique based on proven methods but not proven for use by people. We have small drogue shoots and we are going to duck behind a low ridge to the West of the crash site, we are going to throw the chute out. This will drag us out into the snow without being seen from the wreckage on the least likely attack vector, the plane will land 120 degrees away and divert the attention of the soldiers. We are going to leave 1 team on board to draw fire and make a simulated attack and then hunker down as if we cannot make progress while we advance from the side rear and try to take them by surprise or at least catch them in a crossfire. We have not tried this out and nobody has tried this in snow that has not been tested or checked for density, it could be near fatal for anyone who jumps but we have little choice if we want to have any hope of beating these guys, any volunteers?"

Sheila smiled as every hand shot up, even the rescue team were going to try but they had to stay with the plane and be the diversionary force, there was no time to test for crevasses and this area was not expected to have fractured in that way. It was a gamble but speed and surprise had to take precedence over caution. "Thank you all, I will now get with you all and let you know what your roles are and where you will be best used. Please be advised, those who stay with the plane are at the greatest risk, we are going to be shooting at the enemy who are between us and you. There may be more rounds coming your way and if the enemy attack the plane, there is little to nothing that we can do to help until we have cleared the wreckage first. You will also only have 2 shooters and the flight crew to help defend the plane which is the most essential piece of equipment we have, many possible things can go wrong with this plan and few contingency plans, to those who stay with the plane, we thank you and will do everything we can do to support you." She knew that would take the edge off the rescue team and flight crew who wanted to join the main battle, make everyone feel as if they were doing the most important thing and they would do it without question, glory hunting was always easy to use in order to get a dirty job done.

The proposed landing strip was identified and it was closer to the wreckage than the flight crew was happy with but it was the best stretch of snow within a mile and it appeared as if the Nazi's could have almost landed there if McCormack's idea was not completely successful. A shut down of the electrical system would have removed the program but it is hard to remove something you do not know exists. Everyone was ready, Blade would be the lead man out the cargo ramp on the tether and it would pull the others at 5 meter spans. Blade was going out first as he was more able to take a bad fall and recover quickly; he would then try to run and help as much as he could with the others. The C-130 was going to be traveling as slow as possible but it was still going to be a stretch for Blade to keep up with the falling teams. Time was up, the pilot had switched on the green light which meant they were behind the rise that would hopefully disguise their exit. There was a 30 second window, time for them to leave and Blade had no reason to hang around, He began chewing on a serum stick, stepped to the edge of the cargo opening and took a 30 foot drop.

20 seconds later and everyone was on the Ice, Green 2 had sustained a broken ankle and would be left to provide covering fire with the rifle but the others had suffered only breathlessness and shock from the cold air hitting them as they left the cabin. Blade was the only one who recovered enough to watch the C-130 continue its bank and hopefully draw the attention of the wreck survivors. Kim set up a satellite phone relay by Green 2 and moved off to the side of the rise and join Blue and Red team, Sheila would remain and provide sniper fire and radio warnings as needed. Blade took Green 1 and told him to stay close, they were not going to be able to stop for anything once they rounded the ride and came into view of the defenders. The C-130 engines were heard revving up in preparation for the landing and shots could be heard even this far away in the cold arid air, they must be firing from the access doors in front or the cargo opening itself, anything the could do to keep all eyes on them would benefit the teams more.

Sheila had already climbed to within a foot of the top of the rise, she took out a long dull metal pole which did not reflect the sunlight off its surface and then she poked it through the snow 6 inches from the top and stopped as she felt the pole penetrate the other side. She pulled the pole out and looked through the small spy hole, it did not allow her to see the whole area but 2 more pushes allowed her to see the wreckage without having to be above the horizon and possibly being seen. A small video camera tied to her wrist mounted computer screen allowed them all to see the area clearly. Green 2 was now by her side and inspected the enemy who were all watching the C-130 prepare to land in plain sight, there was not much time after the landing before the Nazi's would become suspicious of the light attack profile and there was 500 meters to cover, Sheila looked one last time and gave the go signal.

An average person can easily run 500 meters in a short period of time, running on soft snow takes more time and running quietly while carrying weapons slowed them down even more but they covered the distance in 8 minutes and were now close enough to hear orders being called quietly between the Germans. Blue 1 gave the signal to spread out 2 meters apart and hunker down, the SOF were going to open up the first volley and place 3 round bursts into the fighters ahead of them firing at the C-130 and the few who were pretending to mount an assault. Blade counted 25 enemy fighters but he saw movement within the wreckage also and could not tell how many were within or on the far side of  
it. If this was an ordinary foe, the SOF teams could likely eliminate all 25 in less than 5 seconds moving from one target to the next before they had time to react, take cover and return fire. This was not an ordinary mission and Blade wondered if they would even be able to take out 1 target each unless they fired at exactly the same instant.

Without a word the SOF weapons spat silent death to 5 vampires, the others were busily firing at the cargo plane and took an instant longer to recognize the situation and change tactics, another 5 targets were quickly targeted and two began to turn to dust before the first shot was returned. 7 down and now the others understood just how bad things were. The night stalkers were already in position and they hit the SOF teams hard and rolled them into the snow, rounds peppered the area where each team member had been positioned. Blade was impressed, the Vampires had reacted slowly but made up for it with deadly accuracy. He was going to have trouble with this group, 1 Nazi fell suddenly and began disintegrating and another fell beside him but regained his feet again and began firing rapidly at the snow mounds, Sheila and Green 2 were doing well. Blade began crawling to the right as the others found what cover they could and began firing once more. Almost Half the enemy was dispatched already and the rest were coordinating their actions very well but still having trouble fighting an enemy which was attacking from both sides. Blade could now see the access door in front was open, soldiers were moving within and it looked like ammunition was being piled up by the door for re-supplying the men outside. Blade picked a small disk from his belt and tapped it 2 times before hurling it towards the open door, it struck and stuck in a wooden box containing rounds. 3 seconds later the inside of the large cargo plane became a funeral pyre for whoever was inside or at least was now filled with vampires unfit to fight back.

At the same moment there was a pair of javelins launched by Sheila. They arced high over the wrecked plane remains and angled down sharply once the electronic sensor in the nose section picked out the locations and dispersal pattern of the remaining vampires. A slight weight position changed the balance and the nose dove quickly through the dry air. A second later and the pair of spears had driven 2 foot of their 3 Meter length into the soft snow. All the vampires Started at these sticks and wondered whom they were trying to hit and why an attacker would use such an inaccurate and old method of fighting. The lower section of the javelin had impacted hard enough to drive the tip deep but also caused the deployment of stabilizing bars which would hold it at exactly the depth it needed to be in order to be most effective. The upper two sections were free of the snow and only now did the Nazi's see that they were both counter rotating rapidly. The upper section had a camera mounted within the shaft and when it had rotated several dozen times it actuated the weapons release switch. The system deployed three Yo-Yo's out to a range of 50 foot attached to the central mechanism by a silver coated wire. The lower section released three spinning in the opposite direction. 2 vampires were sliced apart instantly by the spinning whirlwind of dicing death.

The second javelin was spinning equally as fast but this one did not deploy weighted wires. The camera on this was far more sensitive and able to stop its rotation in any direction. It pointed its lens at the vampires trying to hide and stay out of range of the first weapon. Calculations were made quickly and small doors opened along the length of the shaft. Miniature steel balls were ejected from the slim design and the camera tracked their flight pattern and corrected its dispersal profile instantly so the next release would be closer to the target. The weapon claimed 2 more enemy before the others could find a more solid structure to hide behind but this forced them into a more concentrated area which made defense far more difficult. 1 more vampire raised his head to attempt to shoot the javelin but a ball of death found his eye socket before he could take his first shot.

The javelins continued to spin for a further 2 minutes before their batteries failed and they came to a stop. The vampires had no choice but to remain in hiding while they waited and this allowed the Night Stalkers and SOF to close in further. The cameras were designed to detect all bodies but the program distinguished between living and undead before releasing their payload. Blade had to wear a special tracking device which would allow the system to declare him safe and not to be attacked. There were dangers with this method as it allowed a smart enemy to copy the technique and try to intercept the coding and use it to make themselves safe or cause the attack to be directed at Blade instead. It was the best that they could do at such short notice but Blade stayed behind the stricken airframe and out of sight, just in case. The teams were moving in closer and the Nazi's knew time was up, grenades were thrown and rounds shot but they were being backed toward the fuselage from both sides and their options were quickly going from a shootout to a last stand. They used hand signals to convey the message, retreat to the wreckage and load up with the heavy weaponry, come out fighting and take as many of the filth as possible before they met their end. They began providing covering fire as their comrades sought temporary safety.

Blade looked quickly and saw there were only 4 fighting still on this side but he could hear at least 2 weapons still firing from either inside or on the other side of the wreckage. Blade fired as he ran the last few feet to the open door and jumped in, he hit 1 more vampire as soon as he entered the airframe he stopped and smiled, there were 5 bloodsuckers in sight and a pile of smoking ash close to the door and that made for fun. Blade walked through quickly and picked his targets, the first 2 never even knew they were under attack, the sword edge passed through them as they were shaking the concussion away, the next one tried to raise a weapon but had his hand cut off and the sword tip pushed through his mouth as he opened it to scream. Number 4 was either at the very back or outside when the explosion occurred, he came running and brandishing a large knife which Blade easily knocked to the side and then drove his elbow into the man's jaw. Blade heard the bone break but the man never even slowed down for an instant, he was either completely professional, psychotic or smart enough to know that any weakness was going to be a fast and painful death. Blade parried a few more strikes and blinked as his shades were knocked off his face. He tried to end the fight quickly but the man was fast and good, Blade drew his sword across the man's legs but he bent his knees so fast that Blade was unable to stop the elbows from smashing into the back of his head. Blade thrust the hilt of his sword upwards and it hit the attacker in his sternum and knocking the wind out of him. Blade stood up and stepped forward, grabbed the German by the throat and lifted him up before smashing him into the fuselage of the plane. The German was still fighting and grabbed a small knife from the cuff of his uniform, he jabbed it at Blades throat, Blade moved aside and bit the man's hand, he still did not drop the knife so Blade dropped him, directly onto his upturned sword. The man was slowly cut in 2 as he fell on the sword edge and the agony in his eyes brought a wide smile to Blades mouth. "Hey, the master race is having its ass handed to it by a Negro and a band of gypsies and brothers, guess you were not the best ones after all asshole." He spat as the Nazi turned to ash and fell to the floor.

Blade listened for a second, there was no firing from the teams side of the craft and only 2 weapons seemed to be active on the far side, he walked towards the last Nazi who was still unconscious but he passed him by and walked out through the cargo door. the 2 remaining Germans were dug in deep and firing slowly and accurately. They were not able to attack the C-130 and guard against a close in attack on their position. Blade took out the Yo-Yo's once more and spun them up to speed before releasing them and watching as they hit and destroyed the last of their problems for now. Blue 1 came around the corner a split second before his teammate and they dropped their weapons as soon as they saw that everything was clear. Blade told them that there was one still alive and ordered King to secure it for questioning while they waited for the rescue teams to come up and brief them on what they had done and if the C-130 had sustained any damage. The helicopters were still some 20 minutes away and there was nothing they could do but wait and ask a few friendly questions.

The German was still unconscious and they had already gone through his pockets and pulled out his military papers and faked civilian passport and visas. His name was Kober but his passport was made out to make him out to be a citizen of Mexico called Pedro Hernandez and he was only 29 years old. Pedro was woken gently but the butt of a rifle in his teeth, there were no rights for dead people and none for non-humans and they knew that nobody was going to come looking for him as he had officially died over 60 years ago. He had not stopped screaming when Blade chopped off one ear and leaned in close to the other. "I can cut off pieces of you all day long and you will live through it all, I can make you disappear a little at a time and you will choke on the dust of your chopped off parts before I kill you outright. I will let you regenerate and cut the same parts off over and over again for as long as your screams entertain me. You and your boys have already killed a few friends of the people who are guarding you, how much do you think they will protect you if I were to do this?" He asked as he dug a small knife into the Vampires knee.

The German screamed and cursed aloud in several languages before calming down and regaining his composure once again, the knee was beginning to heal slowly and Kim hooked up a restorative pack to him. The repairs were coming far quicker now and as soon as the skin had healed over completely, Blade drove the knife in one again and began twisting. "You already know that I can and will keep this up until I think of a question I want to ask but for now I think that the number of people you have turned as well as where they are and the pass code for the encrypted computer drives would be something to Start with." He said in a friendly and uninterested voice which seemed to unnerve the prisoner even more than the pain. The German could not understand how someone could inflict such pain and not get satisfaction from it and the screams. Kober felt his strength return but he knew it was no use, he could not break the bonds that held him and he could not attack and survive against this many attackers. He hoped that the others had made it safely to the town and would be able to get away to the safe houses, he bit down on his left incisor which held the poison capsule, he now realized that his attempt was as futile as his situation as Blade held up his tooth and the capsule still intact within it.

"This was going to be a long day" he thought as Blade made his point about who was in control once again. "OK, I will talk but I do not know much, I was only a Sgt when we began and I am not able to access the computers, they are for the highest levels and my papers already show you that I was far from that kind of level. I do not know how many we made over the years, we began bringing people down from other countries in the submarine. We had daily runs and would kidnap people from all over the world and experiment on them until we had them turned and used as guinea pigs to determine how close we could get to the surface before it became lethal. We went through thousands of pigs before we were able to map out the exposure rates and distance charts. They then became toys to watch as they fought each other for food, we watched as husbands and wives ripped themselves or their children apart to satisfy the thirst and then sit and cry in shame and pain until the thirst became too much again and they ripped whoever was left of the family up. We sent them everywhere, thousands of our people all over the planet in different guises and levels from farm workers to corporate members. We run companies in all corners of the world and only a fraction of our number remains here now, we recruited former members after we heard of the fall of Berlin and they left to begin their own stations with the knowledge and skills we developed here. We have made more and more over the years and we have known of the spread of the retrovirus which killed off many of our people but still left a great many in diverse and untouched locations to create more and more of our kind who are also moderately able to withstand the UV rays and damage from the sun. We are ruling right now and you are not going to be able to do anything about it even if you can find who they once were from the computer records. We had plastic surgeons operate on our important recruits before they were turned so they no longer look like their file photos, they are new people with new names, faces and lives which will stand up under the closest scrutiny. We were set back because of the retrovirus but we are now at full strength again and you will not find out who they now are even if you can break the hard drives encryption. You cannot find us, cannot fight us and cannot defeat us." He screamed to Blade.

"I could be lying though and we could be all that is left of the ones we created are not able to withstand the light. You will never know and you will go insane trying to figure out who is and who is not one of us, knowing there are thousands when there are none is as bad as thinking there are none when you know they are walking beside you." He laughed. Blade had enough, he sliced the vampire slightly from his neck to his groin, he smiled as the skin peeled and the flesh beneath scorched and blackened before the skin reformed and left only a small scar for a few seconds before recovering completely. The screams were piercing and would have caused pity in any others ears but everyone in the fuselage were warriors and pity was something that got warriors killed.

They were all together again, Sheila had continued providing cover while the team members formed a sling and brought their teammate in to where it was safe, the C-130 crew were also present now. The plane had sustained damage upon landing and though it was possible to take off, Fields wanted to save it from any further damage and wait until people were sent to dig out the undercarriage and prepare a rough take of strip to ease the stress on the airframe. He would take off if absolutely required, he was simply unsure if he could land it again once the plane was up in the air. Blade was tempted, they could always tether drop again at the Ice Runway at McMurdo and let Fields and Mace fight the beast to the ground but he did not want to thank these guys in such a way for the work they had already performed. Blade scanned the horizon and saw the small bright red specks long before any others, "No need." He said quietly. "It looks like the cavalry is about to arrive."

3 minutes later the 2 choppers were on the snow and 12 fully armed maintenance personnel were filing out. The 2 Bell UH-1's were old and tested warhorses with pilots who were equally as tested in flying through difficult conditions and landing in impossible places. Green and Red teams were going to remain behind to protect the maintenance flight crew while Blue team escorted the prisoner back to McMurdo. Blade made things easier. He walked over and broke both of the Nazi's arms and then tied the left hand up tight behind his head while he brought the right hand across the stomach and up beneath his groin and secured them to the chair he was still seated in. Blade grabbed his head and wrapped a steel cable tightly around the throat before tying the ends around the seats webbing. Blade cut the whole seating section out and carried it over to Fields C-130 which sat with engines spooled up to retain enough heat to provide power for the maintenance crews. He sat the seat down directly in front of the spinning propellers and called to Fields. "Start this engine to full power when you are done and if this guy tries to escape, he can only move forward and that way leads to the props. I think he will behave until we either return and take him into custody or until you guys are ready to take off and if you are ready before we return, just take off right through him instead of trying to find somewhere to secure him inside. " Kober was terrified and watched the blur of motion as the blades passed within inches of the enemies face. Blade ducked beneath the props, broke Kober's legs and tucked them roughly beneath his body before using another length of steel wire to tie the Nazi's torso to the seat before addressing the maintenance crew. "He will be no trouble to you now, he cannot repair the damage to himself because he does not have enough energy and if he tries, his bones and muscles will fix themselves in the wrong configuration and be useless until he breaks them again and sets them right and gets a recuperative pack going. If he tries to break the bonds that are holding him in he will tilt forward into the blades and that's one less issue we have to worry about so either way, he will sit here until we collect him or until Fields uses his head to repaint the plane. If he strains against the wires he will find that they are coated with garlic and silver nitrate which will incinerate him as soon as it cuts through his skin." Kober sat very still.

The Bell UH-1's lifted off 1 minute later with the Night Stalkers and Blue and red teams aboard headed to McMurdo at fastest speed, it would be 16 minutes before they arrived and Blade was already chewing on and cursing 2 more serum strips. "Can't we make this taste like something like cat food even? These things are like chewing on socks that were found at the bottom of an old World War 2 trench but they taste worse. Even a little sauce would help a lot you know." Whistler took out a regular energy pack and handed it over, "No thanks" Blade sneered. "I would rather die of taste poisoning rather than from cutting my throat out trying to remove one of those bricks. My sword can't even cut trough those things, how can they be designed to be eaten when they are harder than diamond and less appealing than diaper duty in an old folk's home?" The others paused to think of this before they could stop, they tried to shake the thoughts away and King hoped there was some mind bleach in McMurdo to wash that image out of his head.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Leslie was going to kill someone, the banners were not hung properly and the balloons were only half finished. She caught the culprits outside, 3 helpers were outside on a smoke break and watching the emergency take off at the helicopter pads. Things were usually calm and predictable here but something had gone wrong and nobody was talking about what it was or where. With everything else going on lately it was just another thing to talk of and begin rumors about later. As soon as they saw Leslie coming out the rear door of the big gym they all put out their cigarettes out and rushed back inside. There was 30 minutes before the party began and another 5 volunteer helpers had not shown up yet, there was many things going on already. Les had spent the last hour ensuring Dave had the sound equipment set up and the bands were not in the bars getting too drunk to perform though she heard that was sometimes part of the charm here. She was more worried about the band hurting themselves or damaging equipment than she was about them sounding bad to a crowd who could not tell what music was even playing half the time. She had left Dave to finish off the gym and check on the bars to ensure they were stocked with alcohol and cash for change, the brief checks had turned into a brisk run to keep up with one of the bands lead singers who was chasing his girlfriend who was chasing someone else. The running joke was old and true, if you had not hooked up with someone before Halloween, the party was the last chance to grab the last single ones before the Christmas party at which time everyone seemed to be single again. This was going to be a date fest and having a band member breaking up tonight was going to be rough on everyone's ears later on. The whole situation was cleared up quickly, the girlfriend chose to stay with the singer, for now at least and that was only because she learned that her conquest interest had no interest in her, not this early in the night at least. Leslie would have to switch his band to be second on the list so he could get away with her early and get things straight without making a scene or getting drunk and paranoid.

She had been told that being here was more like babysitting instead of managing and she was finally opening her eyes to how many people here had never been anywhere before and how many were far more fragile than they appeared to be. One man had come down 5 weeks after his girlfriend and 2 weeks after she had wrote him to say she had found someone else. He had tried to win her back every day so far and he was finally beginning to accept it. This was the first major party of the season and they were unsure if he would be able to deal with seeing her dancing with her new guy, there were another 20 people to watch out for apart from those 2 and it looked like everyone was going to be busy tonight. The balloons were being filled and the banners were being hung up high, streamers were being placed and the floor swept once more to clean the last of the wrappings and trash. It looked like it would be ready in time for opening and she made sure that her notes included Attaboys for all the helpers who turned up. Attaboys helped build peoples ratings up for their performance bonus at the season's end, some could earn up to 25% of their earnings based on how well they did their job and how well they integrated in with the rest of the population during their contract. It was ready, she had to do one more run through the bars and make sure everything was good there and that everyone knew the gym was getting ready to open its doors. That would take the strain off the bars as well as the dorm parties and give people a few hours of rest and peace before the gym closed at the revelers returned once more to the dorms and bars to continue the party again until noise complaints were called in and the parties broken up.

Leslie kissed Dave and quickly left the gym, she began heading to Southern Exposure first and was surprised to see a small group of people walking in from the Ice runway. She thought the team effort would stand a chance of winning a prize later but she would have to wait until she had taken care of everything else before she tried to find out who they were. They must be cold though dressed in black uniforms in a place like this. It took her 5 minutes to get to the Coffee House and Southern Exposure and she was on her way into Gallagher's when the doors opened and partiers began flooding out en masse. She should have known that someone would Start using the phones as soon as the word was out, the gym was open and the party was Starting to get going. She could have called from the gym and saved the walk but she loved walking around town and getting to look at the Trans-Antarctic mountain range beyond the Ice runway and Mount Erebus smoking in the distance over the Scott Base hill, it was not only the cold which regularly took her breath away.

Leslie ran back to her office and quickly changed into her costume, she was going to try Elvira this year but decided on something less obvious and came with Little Bo Peep instead, she was a little worried after hearing of a few inflatable sheep mailed in for the party but she would have to deal with that later on. She changed quickly and headed out into Highway 1 and directly for the main stairwell at the Galley entrance and up to the dorm party already in full swing by the sounds of it. She was surprised at the extent that some had put into their costumes and how far some had taken it. She thought she recognized several people who were walking around in saffron robes and Mohawk haircuts, cutting hair and beards was normal for this party and some had chosen to simply cut their hair in stages instead and a saffron clad punk was something she had not seen before. Her worst fears were confirmed, 3 men waddled over to her, carrying inflatable sheep and asking to be penned in by her for the night, a quick display at how deadly she could be with Bo Peeps staff made her point and the sheep carrying revelers made a hasty retreat. There were zombies and werewolves as well as vampires and even a very well portrayed headless horseman and all the fake blood was going to be hell on the washing machines over the coming days but that was another dept's concern right now. Her concerns were getting these people from the dorms to the gym so that those who were not going to the big party could get some sleep in before the main party began in the dorm again in the early morning hours after the gym had shut down.

Leslie was getting frustrated, she had spent 10 minutes already walking around and trying to prod the partiers into leaving but many were happy to stay where the drink was free and flowing instead of going to the gym where beers were $3 and no liquor was available. She was about to Start using her staff to beat people out the door when a New Zealander leapt to her rescue, he called loudly over the noise and party sounds. "I am the Pied piper and I play for you all today a tune of delight. Join me in dance and let us prance to where the joy shall be this night. Follow me and follow tight for the piper is away on this eve of fright." His poetry was abysmal but thankfully his flute playing was excellent as he roamed through the halls playing a classic conga tune which instantly began a line of laughing and hopping people behind him. She had heard about a group of people marching to Yazoo's some years before but thought this was better even than that. The conga line was growing as he went through the halls and soon it appeared as if all 200 partiers were lined up and bouncing down the stairs after him and headed to the gym. Leslie couldn't help but laugh and she knew that this was going to be something she would talk about for many years to come, music calms the savage beast and she had her staff for everyone else.

Catherine was in a hurry, she had a lot to get done still and she had only finished her shift and gone upstairs when the conga line formed and marched out, she ran to her room and grabbed her shower bag and was out the door instants later. She was back in 10 minutes and throwing clothes on as fast as she could while trying to find her special make-up kit which she had brought down from New Zealand. Catherine had found some old clothing in the SKUA pile and grabbed that in case she ran out of time for her primary costume but she seemed to be ahead of schedule so far. She spent a frantic 30 minutes getting ready and was about to place the final piece in when Marissa came through the door and sat on her bed. "Are you going as a seal or a vamp?" She asked without interest. "Looks like a little longer teeth and black face paint could make you into anything at all and your hair is still wet, if you walk out there like that you are going to be ill and will annoy me with your coughing and feeling bad. Dry your hair right and take more time to get your make up right before you go out." Catherine looked in the small mirror and saw what Marissa was talking about; her face was patched with different shades of pale whitewash face paint. Catherine was about to begin fixing the patches when Marissa stood up, grabbed her towel and began drying her hair roughly. Marissa spun her around and began massaging in some hair gel, forcing Catherine's hair into shape before applying the make up in a more even manner. "If it means getting you out of the room and not having you bother me later with your illnesses and moaning then it is worth it." She said before Catherine could begin to thank her. Catherine smiled and relaxed as Marissa worked her magic.

Marissa's artistic touches were stunning, Catherine had never thought of some of the things Marissa had done. Her eyeliner was put on thick which subdued Catherine's vibrant eyes and gave her a more sleepy or deceased look and her hair was styled to flare out slightly at the back and side so it appeared as wings from the front. Her neck was streaked with mascara mixed with some coloring from the makeup kit to give the appearance of think purple veins running down her throat. Catherine was almost teary when she looked at her reflection and she would have hugged Marissa but she knew it would smear the makeup and Marissa might give her a real black eye for her troubles. Catherine stood up and debated whether to even thank Marissa, she decided that Marissa already knew that she was thankful and would not appreciate the gesture. She smiled and spun as she put her cape on, it was time to go and she was reaching for the door handle when the door opened and Susan and Kay walked in, Marissa just stood up and left.

20 minutes later and the women were ready. They walked out the main entrance to 155 and turned to walk down to the gym when they heard someone call from behind. The girls turned as 2 black clad people passed by them and saw Leslie coming down the steps behind them and smile broadly. Kay had taken the little red riding hood approach and Susan had chosen a mermaid outfit, they all looked wonderful and were giddy with laughter and excitement at the thought of the party ahead. Leslie shot a few pictures of them to put on the shared drive later, there was nothing left to do now but head to the party and get the night going proper. The small group began walking when Marissa rushed out, grabbed them and pulled them back inside building 155 again. "You are not going anywhere and that is that. Something is going on at the party and it's not good so stay here and wait until I come back and get you." Marissa was already moving towards highway 1 and the red doors there but Leslie grabbed her quickly. Something was not right and Marissa looked spooked, even though she had not spent any time with Marissa, Leslie knew this was not a good sign.

"OK" Leslie said while she held Marissa and tried to figure her out. "I am pulling rank here simply because I have been here for a few months now and tonight is a Rec center night. I don't like ordering people but you have just grabbed us and if there is not a good reason for it then I will have to talk with HR about your attitude so please tell us what the hell you are talking about."

Marissa pirouetted sharply and broke the grip on her arm but she did not run away. "You want to see what is going on, follow me." Marissa said nothing more as she led them to the upper lounge which looked out over the bay and most of McMurdo. Marissa pointed to the gym which was barely visible but they could all see that something was not right. No noise was coming from the building which should be pumping out the bass by now. Leslie reached for the lounge phone and dialed but there was no connection, that was odd but not the first time that communications had failed down here. Leslie tried to page Dave as she knew that the pager was on another server and would likely not be affected. She then tried to page herself but her pager sat quietly on her hip. The others were all beginning to back away from the window as if trying to hide. Leslie moved closer and asked Marissa what was going on and why were they hiding. Marissa peered out cautiously through the windows and then sat down quietly. I saw some dudes in German coats and boots and they wore medals and had holsters with guns in them. I thought they were jokers but they walked in step as if they were real military, I know the military guys here and these are not part of the local contingent. I don't know who they are but I do not think they are from McMurdo or Scott Base either. I saw one of them ask someone where building 120 was and the guy they asked made some smart ass remark. They punched him hard enough that I heard his ribs break even up here in the lounge and then they asked him again, the guy pointed up the hill and they shot him and threw his body in the snow under the stairwell I think. They just killed him and walked away, it didn't even look like they cared if they were seen or not. That was when I ran to grab you guys and hoped you did not walk out the wrong door. I think 120 is the communications building and that is why we have no phones and I suppose no internet now either. I think that you need to stay here until we know what is going on and try to keep away from whoever these guys are. I will go and try to find out who these are and what they want but I know there was a bunch of them headed to the gym and saw them mix in with the party goers. You guys are not fighters and I don't want to have to keep working around you or trying not to lose you when I am moving around. You can hide in the attic  
above us, the access hatch is in the cleaning closet across the hall and I think the invaders are busy taking over the town now and will not start searching for anyone right away."

Leslie looked out the window and saw the dead body beneath the rarely used stairs that led from town to the water's edge. She turned away from the window, nodded and looked at the others. "I think that everything Marissa said is right and correct, but there's no damn way I am going to hide when my man is in danger and I can't find out what is going on where he is. I am also not going to parcel myself up in a place with no exit in it for them to come when they feel like it, you think they are not going to find an access hatch? We are all either going to run to where we can get a line or we are going to wait and fight them if they come. I would prefer to take the fight to them though instead but I doubt you ladies will want to risk such for my man and I do not believe any of you have anyone here so far. I want to know what is going on there but I also don't want to become part of it until I know more and sitting here seems pointless and useless but there seems to be nothing more to do."

Marissa looked annoyed, there are several satellite phones on base and a radio transmitter that are off the grid so we may be able to get to one of them and raise the alarm but If these guys know about them they will be guarding them and we will be caught. I only saw 4 of them around town so far but I think there are more elsewhere and a group at the gym."

Leslie looked shaken, "There are about a dozen or so, I saw them walking across the Ice and thought they were coming from the runway or one of the hiking trails. I only looked at them for a second or so but I think there was 12 marching behind the leader."

"We have to do something" Catherine said quietly. "Waiting here and doing nothing will only make things seem worse and allow fear to get the upper hand." Catherine peeked over the window ledge and saw a few people walking towards the gym, she wanted to warn them but thought it would be more dangerous to everyone if the attackers knew that someone was aware of their presence and possible methods. If something bad was happening at the gym it would probably have been heard by now, the silence was ominous but reassuring in a way also and Catherine could empathically feel fear but not pain and panic from the general direction of the gym.

Marissa moved towards the door slowly "There are satellite phones in the fire house and the medical building as well as the Chalet and out at each runway but I think they will have gotten to each of them. There is also an amateur radio set somewhere with global reach, I saw it in one of the buildings I was supposed to be cleaning in and I know there are instruction manuals there and we should be able to use it without much trouble once we are ready. I think we should arm ourselves as best as we can, the galley will soon be filled with the late shift and we can get them to help out as well by hiding out with knives and whatever they can take from there as a weapon. The trade's buildings have a lot of tools in them and we can use them if we can get to them but we should take the pool cues with us from the tables here and use them until we get to the galley."

Susan stood up and handed the pool cues to the others and then joined Marissa near the door, Catherine came next and Leslie and Kay finished the line. Marissa opened the door a crack and looked out slowly, the corridor was clear and the sounds of small parties could be heard from several rooms. She motioned for the others to keep close and stepped out into the hallway, her shin was kicked hard and fast and she ended up on the ground instantly. A large leather gloved hand tried to grab her by the hair but she had it cut recently and the attacker could find nothing to hold onto. The attacker tried to place his knee in her face but Marissa's reactions were far too quick and she dodged to the side as the knee glanced off her cheek and passed by. She brought her hands up together and slammed them into the attackers groin, she aimed slightly to the side and heard the pelvis crack from the impact. The attacker fell to the ground just as a second hand came past him and tried to push Marissa away, she moved quickly and bit at the hand which seemed to have lightening reflexes.

Marissa slowly began standing up and saw the fist too late as it came in and slammed into her gut. She grunted and almost fell but managed to grab hold of the attackers hand and spun around on her left heel, the attacker was not expecting to face someone as hard and fast and he was pulled off balance easily. Marissa continued her spin until she had dragged the attacker through the door frame and into the room, she let him go and pushed hard as he began to fall backwards. Marissa looked on as he tried to regain his balance and she saw the look of intense shock and extreme pain cross his face an instant before he seemed to burn from within and turn to ash. His clothing fell slowly and Catherine was standing behind them with her pool cue in her hands and lowered like a spike. The attacker had fallen on the tip of her weapon and it had shattered into a sharp point which penetrated the thin leather coat and into his chest. The girls were shocked but Kay shouted a warning to Marissa just as the first attacker stood up once more and closed in on her from behind. Marissa ducked and forced her sore leg backwards sharply which caught the attacker on the instep of his left foot as his right foot was coming up to kick her. His weight was too much to bear on the now broken bones and he fell painfully to the floor. Marissa was on him instantly and the others wasted no time, the attack had shaken their shock from them and they were now on the offensive. Each of them circled him and drove their cues deep into his chest, they watched as his face turned white with pan and then red with effort before turning black from some inner fire before disintegrating completely to ash.

"There is only 1 thing that turns to ash when you drive wood into its heart, and it does not exist in real life so, what the hell was that and what did we do to it and what happened to it?. Even if they are vampires, they are not supposed to walk around in the daytime and they are supposed to be invincible to whatever we can throw at them or damn well near enough. What would have happened if they had bitten one of us and why are they here? Oh no," Leslie began to tremble. "My Dave is in the gym with the rest of these monsters. If they are eating or even just biting them in there, I have to get there and be with him."

Kay held Leslie as she shook with shock, they were all shaking now except Marissa; she was taking papers from the leather coats, she then removed the guns and checked the chambers and clips. "We have 2 guns with about 21 bullets each. I doubt they are going to carry rounds which could kill them but this may slow them down a little or at least get us some bargaining power if need be. We need to get to the galley and dip the magazines in a garlic mash, it may work and it may not. Nothing we can try may work but it is better than trying nothing. Catherine, you did very well but put the cue down now and take a seat before you fall down." Marissa commanded. Catherine felt suddenly heavy and crashed into a chair close by.

Leslie walked over and looked out the door into the hallway before coming back to the ashen remains. "My ex is military and he said that they usually go out in teams or squads of 6 each with a leader. If this is the same tactics then we can say there will be 6 with the leader at the gym and the other 4 roving around town either rounding others up or securing communication devices. They will be in teams of 2 like these were and I think that we can beat them that way. We already know what they are and have surprise on our side as they think nobody will know how to kill them. We have to find where they are and go after them before they come after us."

The others were unsure, they knew that Leslie was in shock and worried about her boyfriend but they also knew she was right. They could not storm the gym and even if they did they would be outnumbered, outgunned and out-trained by those in there as well as having the others close in from behind and capture them easily. Taking out the external guards made it easier to contain the others but they did not know what they could do in order to capture or kill the other teams. Time ran out before they were ready, screams could be heard from below and they knew that others had entered the building and they were beginning to round up the people on the lower floors. They could wait and be caught in a room with remains or they could try to get as far away as possible and take that risk. Kay had another option.

The Nazi's had begun gathering the loose ends, they began breaking down doors and grabbing those within and forcing them into the halls. Many were naked or partially dressed, some were still trying to remove the condoms as they walked down the hall to the main stairwell. It took only 6 minutes for the lower floor to be gone through and everyone rounded up, the group was marched into the galley and the galley staff were brought out and held captive with the others in the dining area which had only 2 exits and both were easily covered. 2 Germans remained with the captives as the other 2 went upstairs to repeat the process once more. Marissa was close to the main entrance and had almost gotten into a fight with a drunk guy who was trying to force her further in. He was obviously trying to be a gentleman and making her safer but he had no idea who he was trying to push and when he awoke from the concussion she had given him he would still not know who he had tried to deal with. Marissa was only 10 foot from the guard and she could see that Kay was not as close as she would have wanted to be but she was talking with the man beside her who appeared to be a military man out of uniform, out of any form of clothing at all.

Kay and the man looked up and caught Marissa's look, they knew it would only take the other 2 guards a very short time to either round everyone up or find the ashes and Start to look for the killers. Marissa stood up quickly and drew the gun, held it in both hands and shot a round straight through her marks face. His head split open and she heard the other guard shout in surprise as he was gunned down also. People were beginning to panic but the naked man took charge fast and called for silence. He was shocked into silence also as he watched both guards stand upright once more and begin to heal in front of his eyes. Marissa made sure that everybody was watching before she signaled to Leslie who stood up and rammed the broken end of her pool cue into the guard's chest from behind. He tried to scream but the sound was lost as he fell to the floor as ash leaving Leslie holding up his coat. Susan was close to Kay and she had risen and called for everyone to watch as she demonstrated the procedure once more, she drove the pool tip in so hard and deep that it dented the steel door behind the vampire. People were stunned into silence as Leslie and Susan held up their weapons.

Several military-looking people were moving now and coordinating a trap for the other 2 captors still upstairs. The guns were taken and inspected and everyone was ordered to remain on the floor to make things look as they would be expected to look. Most tried to move away from the doors and keep to the sides but there was not enough time for them to begin panicking before they heard the approach of new captives and the gunmen. The captives filed in slowly and painfully, those who were naked were more ashamed than anything else but that would have to be their problem for now. As soon as the 2 guards had entered the dining area they were hit from both sides with gunfire to the torso and wooden stakes to the legs. They fell quickly and the military were able to restrain them before they could recover. The stakes were left in place and they stopped the regeneration and repairs as well as preventing them from being able to jump or try to run away.

The naked shooter came forward quickly and addressed the prisoners. "I am Capt Mahon of the US Air Force and I demand to know who you are and what you purpose here is." The Germans remained quiet and Started with obvious contempt at the Marissa of David chain around Mahon's neck. Mahon knew there was little time left and he was not playing nice, he reached inside coat, the removed the attacker's papers and read them quickly. Mahon spoke slow and calm "Something is wrong here; you have 60 year old German papers and new passports for Denmark and Argentina. I want to know why you are here and what your plans are and I want to know now." He backed away and gave a signal to one of his people who began to tighten the hold on the Germans arms which caused pain but still would not make him talk.

"Screw this" Kay said as she grabbed a piece of wood from Catherine and rammed it into the chest of the nearest captive. "I have a child and husband who are waiting for me to get home safe, I am not waiting for the others in the gym to come looking for these guys and find us all here waiting to be shot. They are not going to wait long and they are not going to send searchers out one at a time either so I think we need to kill the other one and then either hide someplace better or else attack the gym and try to release everyone else now that we are equally manned and armed." Mahon was about to reply when they heard the helicopters pass directly over head. Things were looking like they were going to get  
more interesting whether they were ready or not.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The choppers had made good time and gotten to McMurdo a few minutes earlier than expected. They had loitered out of audible range a few moments to scan the town for signs of any attacks but nothing was visible from where they hovered out over the bay. The power and water production and treatment plants were quiet and all along the waterfront things appeared normal but Blade knew something was not right. The 2 groups in their helicopters used small handheld radios on a military frequency that could not be overheard by anyone without the proper encryption and key. They landed close to Scott Base and grouped together to discuss the plans to get into town and dispatch the enemy without causing panic in the workers. "I am going to go over the hill and attack from the housing dorms on the top end of town but I think the bloodsuckers will be somewhere closer to the party or bars. They want nourishment and that is where they are going to find it as well as finding out that all the helicopters are gone from base, that makes it impossible for them to send out rescue teams for their men who they probably think are still alive right now. The other chopper pilots have about 5 more hours of loiter time before they have to come back for fuel or head somewhere that they can abandon the bird and stay safe. With the other aircraft on missions or sabotaged, there is no way these bloodsuckers are getting off the Ice without being swept into bags and thrown out with all the other trash." Blade looked at the map before continuing. "My team will take care of the ones who are on the top end and I want Blue and Red team to go on the hiking route along the Ice edge and come around the bottom of town near the big gym. The party there will be a major draw to them and we want to hit them from both sides at once and walking there will give us enough time to scout the rest of town to make sure that is where they are first. We are looking for 2 squads of very pissed off Nazi's and an extremely powerful and intelligent leader who has managed to keep them together and disciplined this long in a place like this. I think we will have our hands full but 13 bloodsuckers is not enough to even make me sweat, even if I could sweat in a place this cold."

Sheila whipped out a beeping block from her legging pocket. "Satellite phone is active, making connections now." She spoke as she punched in a string of numbers from memory. She listened for a few seconds and handed the phone to Blue 1 as she called the night crawlers together. "That was one of our cells and they have hacked into a few feeds from satellites passing overhead, they show a group of black clad people walking into town from the Ice and some making their way to the gym while others spread out. That pass was a little while ago and the next pass is in 4 minutes, we should have more details 5 minutes later when they have hacked in again and cleaned up the images enough to be of use. The military are not releasing the pictures to us and it looks like we are on our own, they are washing their hands of us and they will likely try to wipe the town out before they allow the world to know that vampires exist and are walking around in the sunlight now. The secret must be kept and our guys think that we are all expendable as long as the secret dies with us. We need to take these guys out in a way that leaves no trace and no witnesses if we are to have any hope of containing the news. It is going to be very hard to cover this up if we have to fight our way into the gym with hundreds of people, then capture the fangs alive and then get them elsewhere so we can take them out without anyone knowing about it. News says that the groups were able to round up the military presence also and are likely holding them in the gym as well. We are basically on our own due to the fact that this little island hell is filled with the rejects of society and those who are not already too drunk to walk are either at the party or so reclusive that they would not help the others anyhow."

Blue 1 looked up sharply. "This is crap. Our leaders would not hold this information from us and would not destroy 1,000 people to cover up something like this. People need to be aware of this and we are supposed to protect those who may become victims." He listened to the phone for a few more seconds and then turned it off and handed it back. "Your man says that the sat will be over the horizon in 2 minutes and we have to be indoors so we are not spotted. It is time to hide out until the bird has passed over us." Kim rushed to the pilots and got them moving quickly, they had to be out of town and make it look like they were scouting and not dropping anyone off. The choppers lifted off quickly and  
sped towards Mount Erebus for 2 minutes at high speed before turning sharply and looking like they were headed towards a remote camp. The teams were moving quickly now and it was only with seconds to spare that they got to the cover of an outdoor building near Scott Base and hid. The sat would take 8 minutes to pass out of sight and then they could be moving again without observation for another 12 minutes but they hoped to be in town and moving through buildings by that time. The night stalkers were worried that the Germans had access to satellite passes as well and might be able to get information about the team's attacks from elsewhere, they had connections and it was not wise to underestimate the enemy and their power of information gathering.

Time seemed to pass as slowly as glaciers, Sheila jumped slightly as her sat phone rang once again. It took only a few moments to complete the call. "OK" She said as she hung up. "We have a clear path and people are walking around like nothing is happening. Either the cleanup crew is busy with something else or guarding the communications equipment or they had gone back to the gym and were just taking people as they arrived for the party, unless they were killed by some crack commando team with exotic weapons and tactics." They all smiled at the joke. "We need to secure communications and make sure we can get locations on everyone in town so we know where the fangs are and how many are not at the party, just in case. Heat signatures were odd though, seems there are 2 major groupings, the gym and the Galley as well, I think we should hit the Galley as it has more entry points and can be observed easier because of the windows and other access points. Looks like we are not going to separate after all, we are going to need a large force to take over such a spread out target and secure it as well. Blue and Red team will have to come with us and come in from the rear, be our eyes and ears while we set up alternate entries." Everyone glanced around quickly, there were no arguments; they opened the door and ran as quickly and stealthily as possible.

"What next?" People were asking a lot of questions in the Galley, everyone had an idea and everyone wanted to be the one who was right. 1 man stood up and demanded that everyone follow him into battle, Marissa put him out cold with 1 punch, nobody else thought about that tactic again. Catherine was the one who seemed to take command and be listened to more than others. "We need to secure the building and make sure that nobody else can come in and take it from us again, we think there are only 7 more attackers left and as far as we can tell they are all at the big gym holding everyone hostage at the party." Leslie looked sharply at Catherine; there was no evidence that it was a hostage situation and not a slaughter. Leslie had more things on her mind though and she could not let those thoughts enter into her mind. "We have a few options" Catherine continued. "We can stay here or we can Start moving away from town towards one of the runways and wait for rescue if it is coming. We can try to hide around town but we have no idea if any more of them are coming and from where. We could try to attack them at the gym but they have to strong ground there and more weapons, the military are going to take over that part of it if we all agree and vote for it but, we have to be certain that it what we want to do and who is involved in it."

Mahon walked over at this stage, he had gotten some clothes from one of the empty rooms and he looked a little strange with short Khaki pants and a bright floral shirt. "We have a plan and it is going to be dangerous and foolish but it is the best one we can think of and, we are going to need some help in it as well." He spoke clearly and waited only a heartbeat before continuing. "We are going to enter the gym and try to take the enemy down where they think they are strongest. They are hopefully still unaware that we know who they are and that they are here at all, they may think that the only people aware of them are the ones inside the gym right now but we are going to play right into their trap, we are going to go party." People began looking around and some were looking at the doors as if measuring the distance and chances that they might escape this asylum "Our men and women have the weapons and we are going to go in as partiers but we need to enter in smaller groups so that we are not searched very well. We need screens of others who will walk there with us and agree to be held also. That allows us all to get in and try to position ourselves close to the attackers so we can spear those near us and the others will be kept busy by weapons fire until we can get close enough to them to spear them too. We are asking you who volunteer to put yourself in certain danger but we believe that danger is evident no matter where we are or what we do, this way we can at least take it to them before they come looking for us and take revenge on everyone for killing their friends.

Anyone want to help?"

Leslie was the first one up and even Marissa was surprised by her speed and determination. Marissa and Catherine were already standing and they looked around at the others as Kay and Susan moved together and began inspecting their stakes. Others began standing up and soon everyone was ready to do what was going to be required. Teams were sent out to the rear door loading dock to start breaking pallets and making more stakes which were rubbed with garlic, the ends were covered with tape to provide protection to the user's hands as well as padding to allow more pressure and penetration to be to be used. 20 minutes later and everyone was armed, another 10 minutes and everyone had found something to dress up in for the party which would allow them to hide the weaponry, they hoped. They were all going to begin walking down to the party in groups of 3 to 7 and spread out a few seconds to a few minutes apart. Some were going to head straight to the gym from building 155 while others would head towards other areas of the base and arrive from separate directions just like a real party night. Everyone was ready and it was time to go, Mahon called the group leaders and made certain that all their watches were synchronized and then turned to leave the Galley and walked straight into the barrel of an Uzi 9mm sub machine gun.

Everyone in the Galley froze as armed black clad people appeared in every exit and covered the room with deadly gazes. "Blue team 1, you were so concerned about offense that you forgot about defense. That is why you flyboys never make it in the real war world." The black clad figure said and then laughed loudly as he lowered his weapon and shook Mahon's hand. "We need to get up to date on what is going on right now and then get together on tactics and entry techniques. We heard the speech but we want to know who is going in each group and where your armed people are going to be." The night stalkers remained hidden in a cavity above the large projection screen on the rear wall and watched on unobserved, it was best to let it appear to be a military operation and for them to hold back and get involved only when needed, if at all. 5 minutes later the plan was revised and several changes made, the black clad men removed their fatigues and dressed in less formal clothing which was found for them, their weapons were secreted as best as possible and suddenly it was time to put the plan into action.

Red 2 took a smaller team of network personnel to building 120, this was the communications building and it was essential that the lines were connected once more and access to the world was restored. They believed that building 120 would be abandoned but that was no excuse for risk-taking. The building was only 2 minutes away and they walked straight to it as if ready for a private party before the big night, the entry was flawless and simple, they walked in and found the room empty and all the systems powered off, a few moments passed while Red 2 checked for traps but everything was clean and clear. The IT people got to work and it would be 15 minutes before everything was up-linked. They only needed a few systems running right away so that they could communicate with military command and pass on the data they had gathered already. Red 2 had no idea how he was going to phrase this report but he was the tech guy and none of the other team members liked writing reports, he didn't like it either but tech guys were always the default computer user and report writer. As soon as the systems were power up he handed his weapon to the others and began typing, it would take 10 minutes to get everything written down and then he had to stand by on the radio for a return signal or a further standby call.

The groups were now close to the gym, some had arrived close together and some had stopped outside the doors to have a smoke break before entering, some walked around to the rear entrance and had a smoke there or walked straight in. Some groups met people headed to the gym from dorms and they decided to walk in with those who were still oblivious to what was going on. Their screams would be genuine and add to the disguise, it was a cruel joke to play on others but it was going to be necessary to complete the illusion of innocent and ignorant drunks. Mahon had been the first in and the others had listened for any sounds of fear or struggle but nothing could be heard from outside, music was playing but much lower than expected from a McMurdo party, this was thought to be used as a cover to make things appear somewhat normal from outside. Blue 1's group was last in from the front, the rear was coordinated for Red 1 to enter at the same time, 4 people entering through each side and another 8 armed and trained personnel already inside along with several of the stake holders. This was not going to be pretty and it would not be easy but the less attention they drew as they entered the better for them all. Mahon walked in slowly at the rear of his group, Leslie was in front and 2 Galley staff members were between them, Mahon did not like letting the others go first but he knew that he had to observe as much as possible if he was to have any hope of being able to do anything. He glanced at his watch, 3 seconds before 10 PM, it was tight. Mahon opened the door and everyone filed in as he looked back one last time, he could not see them but he knew the night stalkers were out there watching and waiting to do what they did best if any sign of trouble was seen. He walked in through the outer set of heavy double doors and breathed out slowly as he watched Leslie walk in through the inner set, he could see the other team begin to enter through the rear door, this was it.

Blue 2 held the door wide open for his group to enter, he could see inside and was happy to see everybody inside seemed to be sitting down with their hands on their heads and that was a good sign that they were still alive and obeying orders. The music played loud enough to be heard from outside but not loud enough to stop the sounds of crying from being heard. That could be good or bad, someone could be badly hurt or crying over things done earlier or it could be simply a sign of shock but the fact that the vampires had not silenced them was good also. He had just stood back far enough to be out of reach from anyone inside and watched as his 2 group members walked in and were grabbed and roughly thrown to the ground. He knew it was coming but the strength of the grip took the breath out of him even though he was breathing out at the time to lessen such an effect. It would take him a few seconds to regain his position and be able to get closer to the door from where he landed 15 foot inside the gym. He feigned a broken rib and rolled around as if in pain allowing him to wiggle his way closer to the door and nearer to the 2 guards standing nearby. They were 20 foot apart with one at the door and another close enough to provide cover fire and help in an instant but far enough away to be safe from a simultaneous attack. Blue 2 could see the other teams arranged in pockets throughout the gym, they must have been allowed to move around quite easily for some of them to have gotten so far in or they were thrown near where they were now and were not able to make their way closer to the guards.

He had only 2 stake holders near him but he was glad to see that Susan was one of them and Marissa was only a few feet behind her, he knew that the other fighters had taken the front door and hoped they were closer to the action than his people were. His watch said 40 seconds past 10 PM, 2 seconds left as he gripped at his ribs, grabbed the gun butt and adjusted his grip, he counted slowly and suddenly jackknifed onto his back and fired into the farthest target by the door. Marissa was instantly on her feet and moving in her targets direction as he fell to the wall under the bullets impacts. She dispatched the vampire with a kick to the face and followed by several punches to the throat and upper chest area to leave him breathless and unable to regain his balance. She would have kept hitting and rip him apart limb by limb but she knew bullets were flying and it was essential for all these vermin to be eradicated. Marissa drove her stake in between his testicles and blew him a kiss as he screamed in pain and began to dissipate. She ducked and turned to get the other vampire but saw that things were in hand and decided to watch and enjoy the show.

The other vampire was fast but confused by the barrage of wooden stakes being thrown at him, he ducked but 1 caught him in the eye causing him to spin around and that was all that Blue 2 needed. He shot the vampire in the spine and dropped him to the floor where he lay immobile as his body attempted to repair the new damage, the Nazi could only lay there and stare as Susan walked over and placed her stake over his chest. "You were going to make my baby cry, I will not cry over you and neither will she." She drove her palm down hard on the stake and watched without emotion as the Nazi reached out in helplessness and pain to her, his hand caught her sleeve for an instant before the grip became ashen and he ceased to be anything but a stain to be swept up

Blue 2 was already on his knee and changing out his weapons magazine with a fresh fully loaded clip. He scanned the crowd and saw the next targets quickly but they were far faster and far less restrained. The firing began fast and furiously, bullets chewed the floor of the gym up all around him and he felt several rounds impact his slim line low profile Kevlar vest. He felt more than 1 round penetrate his arm and another through his leg, this was going bad but he concentrated on the mission at hand and returned fire as steadily as he could trough the pain and imbalance caused by the weight on his newly injured thigh. The pain was growing sharply but suddenly it dissipated and seemed to leave him, he knew that an artery had been hit and his body was losing feeling as he lost blood, seconds now became more important than ever and every shot had to do the most damage possible in order to aid the other teams. He could see the bullets hit his chest area and blood spray from several more hits to the arms and unprotected areas of the upper torso but no new pain signals came. His mind was the clearest he could ever recall it being, the lack of blood had caused the adrenaline in his system to become much more concentrated now and his every actions seemed to be powered by atomic speeds.

His aim was perfect as he struck 2 of the remaining 3 vampires but even as he saw his rounds strike them he knew they were not having any significant impact on their actions and strength for now. He knew it would take their powers from them until they were able to feed and replenish their energy stores once more and all that he could do was keep pumping bullets into them and hope Red team were having more luck. His weapon was empty and he ejected the clip quickly, the gun was so heavy now and his eyes were beginning to cloud over slightly. A headache was beginning and he knew this was from the blood vessels in his skull being crushed from the vacuum caused by the blood leaving his lower body as his brain was trying to draw what was left to itself. Weakness and confusion was fast taking over and he knew it would soon be over, he reached for the magazine on the ground and watched helplessly as his balance finally gave out and the floor rushed up to meet him.

Red team were in trouble, they had been in less than perfect condition and had not been able to improve their position before the firing began but they were fortunate that the vampires which were guarding them reacted in the wrong direction and began firing at Blue team and their support group. Red team got shots off fast and accurate but one vampire fell outwards through the door and managed to escape while Catherine and Kay attacked the other from both sides. Catherine rolled on the floor and drove her stake into his foot as Kay stuck hers in his neck. The double attack coupled with bullets and flying splinters were enough to distract the vampire and Catherine managed to remove her stake and drive it sharply upwards into his groin. Kay removed and held her stake high as the Nazi bent forward, as soon as he reached for Catherine his back was exposed fully and Kay wasted no time in driving the stake through his ribcage and into his heart. "Thanks, it will take me a month of showering to get him out of my hair." Catherine said smiling as she shook herself free from the heavy fall of ash which now covered her from head to waist. Kay could only shrug an apology as she bent down beside her to stay safe from the bullets still flying around the building. 3 vampires were still in the building and were being closed in on by the attack teams and even some of the hostages.

Catherine watched as 1 man stood up and grabbed a vampire from behind even as bullets rang around him and impacted the vampire he was holding. The vampire tried to turn and fight but the man was too strong and the vampire had been weakened too much from the damages suffered already. Catherine recognized the man as Dave the sound engineer and watched as the 2 men fell to the floor and the crowd around them converged and seemed to merge into one large ball of beating for the vampire now helpless and certainly doomed. A large bang caused everyone to duck lower and as they looked around they saw the remaining 2 vampires exiting through a hole blown out of the thin gym wall and escape the barrage into the snow beyond. Kim and Sheila stood up and walked to where the crowd was still tearing at the fallen vampire who was fighting desperately to escape Dave's grip and the fists of the maddened crowd. Kim nodded to Sheila and walked towards the new exit in the gym wall, Sheila pulled out a small baton and snapped it fiercely, the snap brought the baton to full extension of 2 foot and she rammed the tip deep into the captives chest before twisting it sharply. The vampires face grew in agony and a silent scream formed on his lips before he began to dissipate and crumble into nothing. Dave was still trying to figure out what had happened as he watched the back of his captives head glow red and begin to grow opaque before finally turning to ash and covering his face and body. Dave looked in shock as a thin young woman reached down and helped him off the ground, she held up a metal rod with a bright blue glowing tip. "Steel with UV laser delivery system for delivering a lethal dose of light where they need it least, right to the heart. Only a backup in case the spike on the end doesn't penetrate far enough on its own though and we were not sure if it would work here in the cold, kinda glad I had the chance to try it out, thanks for the assist." She said to the still stunned Dave as she walked away and exited the building through a hole Dave had not noticed before, it was going to take him a while to make sense of all this and right now he had more to worry about, he had just seen Leslie walking his way and she looked pissed.

4 vampires gathered and checked weapons, "let us leave this area and find a more defensible position sir," Rimmer requested. "We have to regroup and try to radio the plane and tell our men to join us here. They must have known about us and prepared with this new force who were not supposed to be here and especially with those weapons and tactics. We have lost surprise and possibly lost everyone else in town and they have most likely sabotaged the planes at the runway already. I believe our best option is a strategic retreat until we are joined by our fighting force and then we exact our revenge on this peasant filth."

"No" Braun ordered quietly as he strode to the nearby radio communications building. He watched the other nearby buildings for signs of an imminent attack. "We are alone and our people are lost to us now either dead already or going to be attacked in force soon and erased. We have to accept that we 4 are the last of the expedition and the only ones who can make this work, we have to go to our second defense point and regroup, rearm and respond to the attack and we have to do it fast before they can reorganize and push the assault. We were shocked with our arrogance and lack of intelligence on troop strength in town as well as the ease with which we were able to secure everyone."

They arrived at the bridge which crossed from the snow bank to the door opening into the building and as they began crossing an arrow came and struck Rimmer in the neck. He spun quickly to return fire but another arrow found its mark and struck his heart with silver tipped barbs bursting to release an Ultraviolet radiation chemical which quickly ended his residency in McMurdo. Braun stooped and picked up Rimmer's weapons to return fire, he was showered with a fine ash as he heard another arrow strike home and removed 1 of his remaining troop. The 2 Germans now began running uphill to the dive shack which was used by the divers to suit up and warm up when they got out of the icy water once more. The dive shack was only a short sprint away but several well placed bullets soon left Braun alone and cornered. Blade walked around the shack slowly and barehanded, there was no point in rushing something so fun and enjoyable after all.

Braun knew that nobody was going to fire upon him while this black man was standing in front of him, he stood up slowly and in a flash he had brought up both handguns and fired at the fool who dared to address him as an equal. Braun watched in amazement as the man leapt in the air and over his head, Braun tried to follow his track and hit the stranger but the man was very fast and the snow made it harder to turn while retaining balance and accuracy in such close quarters. The man landed 1 foot from Braun and seemed to have grown a sword from nowhere during the flight, the metal edge made fast work of the weapons as it sliced the barrels in 2 and made the guns useless. Braun was faster than anyone Blade had ever known and another gun was drawn and fired before Blade could destroy it with his sword, the bullet struck Blade in the right lower ribs and drew some blood but his healing was unaffected by fatigue or other injury and he was able to begin repairing quickly. Blade took care of the gun before it could spit a second time and the 2 men stood facing each other, Braun empty-handed and Blade replacing his sword in its scabbard.

Braun launched a vicious attack to the groin but Blade expected it and managed to twist his legs and deflect the attack to his left. Blade brought his right knee up rapidly and smashed it into the calf of Braun's right leg but Braun reacted quickly and used the attack to leverage his leg down against it and create enough resistance to flip himself backwards and farther away from danger. Blade stepped forward and Braun leapt and spun in a flying reverse kick attack which caught Blade in the jaw and knocked him back into the side of the dive shack. Braun was moving fast now and began heading uphill as quickly as he could move but it was clear that he was hurting and in need of replenishment soon if he were to stay in the fight at all. Blade saw several people take aim at Braun and ready to fire, he waved them all down and strode purposefully after the retreating German.

Crary lab looked down upon the fight with emotionless windows and heartless concern, it witnessed almost everything from its central position in town and this day would simply be another scar on the surface of an ever regenerating skin of snow and rock. Blade leapt high and far and tried to land his feet in Braun's back but Braun jerked and rolled backwards just before Blade was close enough to strike, Braun came up beneath Blade and landed his own roundhouse kick just before Blade was able to land and defend himself. Blade shot forward from the momentum of his own attack as well as the strike from the Germans still surprisingly powerful legs. Blade calculated his landing and prepared to push backwards and spin to launch a counter strike before his enemy could push the advantage but, as he landed and kicked hard to reverse his direction, his legs sank farther into the snow than he had thought and his force was spent in the soft blanket around him. Blade sank in up to his knees in the snow bank and heard Braun rapidly closing in from behind, he attempted to leap clear but the snow was more viscous than it looked or felt and Braun was able to anticipate the attempt. As Blade made a half successful leap from the snow he was met with a powerful strike between his shoulder blades which broke his scabbard and tossed his sword to the snow and far out of reach.

Blade landed hard and tried to catch his breath but he could feel the hunger coming on once more and sought his serum delivery capsule or a power bar but there was no time for either as Braun pressed his attack, he leapt high into the air and came down hard on Blade's back. Blade was knocked deep into the snow drift and felt as if the Ice herself was trying to engulf him and stop him from fighting or being fought any more. Braun saw his chance and began hammering on Blade's back as he tried to escape but the snow was as solid as steel due to the compaction and frozen state of the ground beneath preventing any possibility of an easy release. Blade felt every steel fist as it slammed into his back and felt the knees in his lower back, he had to time this perfectly if it was going to work, he could wait a few more seconds and let someone shoot Braun but that was dishonorable and he was not going to accept a win that way. Blade waited for another punch and then dug his toes into the snow as deep as he could drive them from this position and used them to arch his back high as Braun brought his fist down once again which threw his balance and stability off more. Braun landed in the snow some 25 foot away and rolled quickly; he watched as Blade stood up slowly and shook the snow from his body, Blade smiled fearsomely.

Blade had enough, he was tired, he was cold and he was getting wet from the melting snow finding ways through his clothing onto his skin. "Have I ever told anyone how much I HATE THE SNOW?" He yelled as he dove headfirst into a fresh and spirited attack on Braun. Braun rolled downhill slightly and then leapt uphill as Blade passed beneath him twisting to bring his body into position to strike the Nazi. The 2 warriors were passing perpendicular to each other at great speed but each managed to get a solid hit on the other, Blade was driven deep into another snow drift and Braun was thrown high into the air and landed on the stairwell into Crary Lab.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Braun ran inside and found himself on the lowest level of Crary Lab and quickly found what he was looking for, he was in the aquarium and began searching the large tanks on the room. He grabbed fish at random and quickly replenished some of his energy though the fish would only provide a lower level of energy and only for a few moments, for now though he was stronger than that black devil and as in a position to be able to defend and direct the fighting in the small tightly packed room. Braun watched the entry door and waited for Blade to rush him but nothing happened for several seconds, Braun was patient but he knew that his energy would not last long as his body sought nutrients to repair his injuries. He waited another minute and began to reconsider his position of strength, he had gained slightly but he could not see or know what the enemy was now doing outside, he waited another minute and began moving towards the entry door once more, he knew the map of the lab and that there were numerous exits which could be used. The lower level only had 1 which he had used to enter though there was a smaller emergency exit in the aquarium itself but he felt that was going to be watched too closely. The next level had several exits in all directions and with different types of doors from the separate labs. The upper level had fewer exits but had the main doors which opened up to the area behind the fire house which allowed him full access to any part of town quickly. He could try to make it across the road from the firehouse to the Science Support Center, or SSC as it was referred to. This was the research support building which housed some science equipment and usually had a range of skimobiles he hoped to use to escape town and take him to where he would be left alone long enough to figure out some other method of escape. If the SSC turned up empty he would exit its rear door and cross the small dirt road up above Hotel Cal dorm and then into the BFC and grab something from there.

Braun was running up the ramp and through the various stages of Crary Lab, he emerged at the main doors and burst through them with enough force to make anyone cower and seek shelter, anyone except for Blade who stood patiently awaiting his emergence from hiding and into the brightness of day. Braun leapt high and hard at Blade, using the last of his energy and power to overcome this devil and take his energy from his neck. Blade positioned himself slightly more forward and pulled a silver stake from his hip holders and held it ready to drive it through Braun's heart. Blade stood silent and still as death as he waited for Braun to finish his short and final flight. Braun saw the stake and knew he had committed too much too hard and too fast, he knew there was little to nothing he could do that would bleed off or increase his speed or power, he was going to land close enough to Blade for the silver stake to be used against him. Braun watched the stake and looked at Blade, and smiled.

Blade expected a breakout attack out of desperation, he knew that Braun would need to get away from here fast and would seek some form of transport. The town trucks were already moved away and the only things left were the skimobiles which had already been loaded up on trucks and moved away or had ignition cables removed and made inoperable. There was nothing to be gained by the solitary stand against the quickly fading German but there was nothing to gain by hiding out and allowing others to take on the hard battles. Blade was ready to finish this off and get back to where things were warm and white flooring was optional. He had grown to hate this mining town and its liberal inhabitants and friendly attitudes even extending so far as to offer a handshake with the hand that had frozen off them earlier that day, these people just got under his skin. Another few seconds and Braun would be dust and he would be getting on a flight out of here, he watched steely-eyed as Braun closed the final few feet and wondered why Braun was smiling instead of screaming in fear.

Braun landed hard and Blade thrust just as hard and felt his right wrist shatter in the impact. Braun was standing and the low moan of agony and pain was obvious but he was still not beginning to fall apart. He grabbed Blade's shattered wrist and pulled it and the stake out slowly and carefully, Blade saw a glint of steel in his chest as the stake was removed and looked more closely, Braun's heart appeared to be surrounded in a metal case and the sharpened stake had not been thrust powerfully enough to penetrate it. Braun began twisting Blade's arm back and directing the stake towards his own heart. Blade brought his left hand around in a karate chop and slammed it hard into Braun's neck, Braun heard and felt his collar bone break and fell to the ground trying to summon the strength to recompose the bones and muscles he knew would be needed to continue this fight. He needed time and had nothing to bargain with but data, he began talking.

"Damn you black devil." Braun swore in deeply accented English. "We are still the master race and we are the rightly superior peoples to rule this planet and all upon it, doubly so. We were chosen by the Gods themselves and granted perfect blood and minds to overcome all obstacles and issues, it took a whole planet to contain us before but we are stronger than any of you could imagine and we will rise again and succeed in ruling and repairing the ills and faults of this world. You cannot stop nature and Nature herself is on our side, how do you think we are able to walk around in the light now and not burn? How, if not by the will of the great Gods and Goddesses were we able to survive here for so long and overcome all of the problems we came across and remain unknown for all these years even as we traded openly with many other countries near and far? You are merely an aberration and only a corrupt and cheating mind could have had a chance of succeeding against us. If you were honorable you would have declared yourself as an inferior one of us and we would have sent out our man to fight you fairly and fatally, for you at least. Then we would have declared ourselves openly and taken our rightful place as world leaders and rulers instead of having to rule as we do now in secret and suffer the regulations and laws of weaker and lesser peoples. Were you not merely a lowly black I would have thought of examining your blood for traces of the master race and brought you in with us but your race and type need to be wiped out now even more than they deserved it back in the glory days of the 3rd Reich. You cannot prevent the news of this outbreak from getting out to the public and as soon as our people find out about it they will begin initiating plans to consolidate our power. Buyouts and consolidations will be effected in all types of business but you will not be able to verify which of the people in which company is loyal and who is simply conducting business as usual. Politicians and lobbyists will make the things we want happen and ensure our rise to power will go ahead without interference. Our numbers are in the thousands and your removing Drake simply allowed us to move in where the lesser breeds were once located and take our divinely ordained place as leaders and rulers of a world in need of strong leadership and cleansing. We will win and we will do it as you watch blindly. It is inevitable that you will all die and we will remain and after we have removed the last of your kind and cleansed the world sufficiently, we shall bring back the Fuhrer and follow the divine one in victorious splendor and triumph."

The last sentence shook Blade back on his heels. "Hitler is dead." He said. "We buried his ass and built a car park over his head so that everyone could walk over his grave. That psycho is nothing but ash and that is something you are going to know about real soon." Blade removed another metal stake and drove it hard at Braun's chest but Braun had used his brief respite well and found enough energy to leap out of the way and up towards the side entrance to the fire house. Blade picked himself out of another snow drift and cursed the snow before leaping to the door also and stepping inside. Blade adjusted to the darker interior of the firehouse quickly and took a deep breath as he saw Braun rushing towards a group of firemen standing close to 1 of the large water trucks used for firefighting on and off base. The firemen were not allowed to take time off or find somewhere safe to hide out as they were always on call for emergency situations and had to be in the firehouse when on duty for ease of locating and dispatching. Braun was only a few feet away from the group which had only now realized that they were under attack Blade tried to close the distance and deflect the attack but he knew he was too far behind and that Braun would begin to feel refreshed as soon as he began taking blood from any of those present right now. There was nothing to do but keep racing and try to limit the damage that he feared was going to be caused but then he stopped suddenly and stood very still, waiting.

Braun took no notice of Blade or anything but the target in front of him now, the fireman was only inches away and he only needed 20 to 40 seconds to gather enough blood for a near complete regeneration over the next hour but he was going to be far better than Blade was after all his exertions. Braun extended his arms and was about to grasp on the neck to draw the throat close when he first became aware of the fact that nobody was running away or trying to hide. It made no sense but they may not be aware of the danger yet or were too scared to move, the blow that hit him seemed to come from nowhere and send him to a place of pain he had not ever known to exist before.

Braun was suddenly on his back and looking at the roof far overhead. He had no memory of falling but he knew something had hit him hard, he could feel something in the back of his throat and the growing pain informed him that the loose pieces in his mouth were his teeth. Braun had never been this weak or desperate for sustenance before even during the torture and endurance testing they had conducted each year to build up resistance. His head swam and his eyes were having a hard time focusing on anything, he felt as if the whole world had suddenly clapped its hands and his head was in the center of the event but he was also fully aware that laying there was certain doom and that he had to move once again. His movements were instinctual and reflexive, training had prepared him to take action and his body was taking the actions it felt was safest and best for him. He jackknifed himself into a sitting position and saw Blade standing on one side and a monster hulk of a man on his other, the firefighters had now turned around and he could see that some of them were armed with various weapons and they were clothed in attack gear. They were some of the people from the gym who had attacked earlier, special forces and some pathetic amateur group who had dressed up in firefighters uniforms to trap him. "Hi, the names Blight and I am here to thank you for dropping into the McMurdo fire station and ask you to please refrain from attacking civilians, you leave them alone and we leave you alone and all you have to worry about is contending with Blade over there. Sorry about the slight dental damage, reimbursements will be made available for any corrective surgery required for you to regain your winning smile once more, just take your bill to hell and the bastards that created you can make it all better again." The big man stood close by with a bloodied fire axe in his hand, obviously the item he had been hit with and the one which had removed his ability to feed easily. Braun would have to rip a head off now and simply attempt to catch as much blood as he could before it all flowed out of the body.

Blight turned his back and began walking back towards the large group, Braun was in the air and on his back in an instant but he fell off quickly and felt the big man's hands grab him around the neck before he had even hit the floor. Blight slammed Braun into 1 of the solid steel upright roof support poles in the center of the firehouse and then twisted his head so violently that it almost came off. Braun felt himself lifted and slammed again and again into the pole and floor before finally being flung to the cold concrete floor and a foot placed on his throat. He looked up to see the monster standing over him and looking down without pity or concern, the bloody fire axe was still in his hands but now Braun could see that the bottom of it had a sharp point on it. It had been that point which Braun had landed against as he tried to leap on Blight's back, he was obviously expecting the attack and positioned the spike where Braun was expected to land. "I already told you," Blight repeated quietly. "Leave us alone and we leave you alone, now I will have to kill you for failing to obey a direct order and for pissing me off as well for your kind wiping out my family and many other families also. It is now time for you to meet your eternal tormentor." Blight said as he lifted the axe high and brought it down to Braun's chest. Braun had no time to think, he spun to his left and grabbed Blight's right foot and then used it as leverage to drag his feet out from between the big man's legs. He kicked hard and pushed himself away from the attack and in 1 swift and desperate move he had risen to his feet and launched himself at the large metal roller doors at the front of the building. The door shattered outward from the impact and Braun was once again in the bright sunlight but this time he was burning badly as the sunlight found the edges of the holes in his body and he began to react to the UV rays.

He could not repair the damage and it was only a matter of minutes now before he would fail completely and be too far damaged to recover from. He thought of surrender but knew such was not an option and he would have to win or lose in combat but the most important thing right now was to find shelter from the light. Braun looked left and right, both ways were blocked off with large crowds of armed people and he knew he did not have the energy to leap over them or fight his way through them, time would also not permit such. He had only 1 chance left a large 2 story building was directly ahead of him and only a small height above, he leapt as much as he could but still had to scramble the last meter to the top and onto flat surface before he could stand up and run for the door. Braun rushed the door and fell inside with a rush of relief from the burning light as well as a temporary safety from attacks from the crowd. He had only a brief moment to look around before the door flew open once more and struck him hard flinging him across the large room and against the far wall before he fell hard on a rack of tools and hoses. The welding equipment helped cushion his fall slightly but he had no time to grab anything to use as a weapon before Blade had him held tightly once more by the throat.

Blade wasted no time, there was enough pain already and he was now feeling the energy bar finally kicking in, the rush of serum was overpowering and he felt as if he could drive a splinter through the steel cage around the blood suckers heart but he had a better idea to make sure he was successful. Blade carried Braun to the large welding table and trapped one hand in the bench vise and the other in a chain vise at the other side. Braun could do nothing now but watch and wait as he watched Blade grab an oxygen and acetylene welding torch, strike a light and adjust the flame until it was white hot at about 2,800 Fahrenheit. Blade walked slowly to the table and thrust the welding torch tip into Braun's open chest wound. The smell of burning flesh was overpowering to anyone who was not used to death already but the screams were deafening even to Blade. The metal cage around the vampires heart grew in color from silver to grey to black before beginning to glow purple and red and finally white before melting and opening up a hole which Blade widened by moving the flame tip slowly around the edges and melting more as he went. Braun had energy enough now only to scream, he could no longer move or attempt to escape and his pain was all he was aware of as his body attempted to repair damage which was being inflicted faster than he could ever cope with even if he were fully fed and healthy. Steam and pieces of burned flesh began floating out of the gaping wound and turning to ash as the torch continued it operation but Blade finally felt that the hole was large enough for the job at hand. He set the welding torch down and picked out a silver stake from his leg holder, held it gently and fought the urge to widen the cage opening a little more knowing well that it was merely his wish to inflict more pain and suffering and not for any practical reason. Blade threw the stake high, caught it on its fall and thrust it into the heart with enough force and hatred to put the tip through the back of the cage where it embedded itself through the 2 inch thick boards which the welding table was made of as well as the layer of ¼ inch steel on top. Braun finally ceased screaming and soon after, he ceased completely.

Blade stood back and watched in silent pleasure as the last remains of the Nazi turned to ash leaving only the remains of the heart cage with its openings for blood vessels. Blade reached out and removed the metal stake from the welders table and placed it back in its holder once again and then picked up the protective cage and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. "You can't leave that there as it is a biohazard and has to be removed correctly and with the appropriate paperwork arsehole." Blade looked and saw a scruffy man sitting on a handmade stool reading a paperback book at another table. "We would appreciate it if you would please dispose of the part in the bio-waste recycle bin outside and that allows our refuse professionals the opportunity to remove the item from being able to harm any others and be placed in the correct container for shipping off the Ice to be incinerated at a later date and time." The man said without looking up from the book. His jacket nametag just said Jimmy and Blade thought the man looked older and filthier than McMurdo itself. Blade removed the cage and brought it outside where the gathered crowd watched in fascination as he deposited the remnant in the large steel rubbish collector marked Bio. "Always was the trouble with this town, too many damn vampires." Jimmy said to nobody as he turned another page and continued reading.

Lisa and her staff were franticly busy, everyone with first aid knowledge was already being put in place to help out and the call went out for people with certain blood groups to come into the medical building and donate as there was a need for such and the Ice did not keep a regular blood supply on hand. Blue 2 was the only critical injury and he was already being operated on by the Air Force resident surgeon in an attempt to stabilize him enough to fly him to New Zealand for further treatment. Maintenance crews were already headed out to the Ice runway to make at least 1 C-17 jet transport airframe operational and ready for emergency transport North for those in need of immediate treatment. It would take an hour to prep the plane and run tests but the operation on Blue 2 would take another 2 hours more to patch up the arteries and veins which had been hit. Blood donors lined up and he quickly exhausted 6 liters of blood from others before he was considered stable enough for  
transport by helicopter to the runway for transference. Nobody held much hope for his survival but everything had been done and it was now up to the flight crew with a flight nurse and a junior surgeon to monitor his signs and get him through the 5 hour flight north.

Leslie had not left Dave's side since she had hit him in the gym for being so dumb. He had 4 broken fingers and a sprained wrist, Leslie was about to sprain some more parts if him for his actions but she could not unwrap her arms from around him long enough to hit him again, that would come later on. "You do something like that ever again and we will kill you ourselves you dummy." She told him as he walked out of the medical building.

"Yeah," He laughed through the pain. "You are going to beat me, you and who else or whose army?" He asked with a smile.

"I and our child will beat you up you idiot." She said and caught his weight as he collapsed. He felt a numbness which was nothing to do with the painkillers and he would require another medical inspection but Lisa told them that she could do nothing to take the foolish grin off his face and it would fade in time, about the time he had to change the first diaper. Lisa also asked that Leslie not put on such a themed display for the Christmas party and to let everyone know if she is going to have Santa Claus show up.

Marissa had gotten back to business as if nothing had happened at all, she was Starting cleaning the gym out the next morning but the military still had it quarantined to anyone who was not involved in repairs and investigation. The hole in the wall was fixed with some plywood as a temporary patch while the bullet holes were filled with caulk until a more permanent repair could be investigated and ensured. 50 people had quit that morning and another 20 would leave within a week but management had already decided that only the most essential scientific studies were going to be allowed to continue this season and only the minimum personnel were to remain. Every research team submitted proposals as  
to why their research could not be held up and why they needed even more personnel now to make up for lost time and less productivity due to the shock of the events at the party. The work crews were happy to offer more hours to help out with the workload that was increased due to lost workers. Normal everyday tasks such as helping with the cooking and cleaning could be done by most people on the Ice and other tasks such as trades had extra helpers assigned as needed but it was mostly the carpenters who were busy. Everyone volunteered to work with them because everyone wanted to be inside the gym and see what was going on in there during the wall repairs and ongoing military investigation.

It would be 4 more days before things were finished in the gym and it was opened up to be cleaned and used again but people mostly wanted to walk around and take pictures of the damages. Catherine had stayed on and gotten a promotion to lead DA on the swing shift for her cool head and positive attitude, she was also trying to figure out which of the dates she was offered to accept after each evenings shift was over. Kay settled back into the job at the store and had added a new piece of art to the small wall space behind the cash register. A wooden stake had been mounted to a plaque into which the carpenters had scrawled "Shoplifters will be dealt with SEVERLY." Kay did not really like it but it brought a few smiles to others and that was what was more important right now. Susan had moved her departure date forward 1 month but she wanted to stay and see what Leslie was going to pull off for the Christmas party to outdo this one. She had talked with her family and they wanted her home but understood that only so much could go wrong on any job and it was unlikely anything else could possibly go wrong now with so many more military and federal investigators and security on base. There was also one other thing they were all going to wait around and see.

Leslie and Dave were going to stay for the end of the contract, she was only a little over1 month gone and she would be away from the Ice before any serious testing would have to be done. Lisa had 3 kids and knew what to test for and how to take care of most issues that could creep up during the early pregnancy stages. Leslie and Dave had one more party to set up and this one was going to be on December 1 as a midway between Halloween and Christmas, they were going to get married in the Chapel of the Snows which was at the lower end of town next to Hut 10. The whole town was invited and it was expected to be a large turnout.

Catherine and Marissa had 1 more thing to do and they met for lunch, it was a busy time for everyone but something had to be done and it was best to do it now. They walked together down to the Human Resources office and entered quietly, Cecilia had flown down to replace the man who was in charge that year and had left early after the disappearance of the science team and attack on the rescue crew. She was exhausted from processing all the paperwork from the personnel who were wanting to leave and she looked up with sadness in her eyes as she saw Marissa and Catherine walk in. "I had hoped you girls would like to stay and finish off your season. I can understand your wanting to leave here though after you were both so deeply involved in the proceedings and fighting so please take these forms and fill them out and as soon as you return them I will get your request prioritized so that you are both on 1 of the first flights out. I, and I think the whole community, am so sorry to think of you leaving but it has been very hard on you both." She said as she held out 2 pieces of paper to them from the stack she had placed on her desk to make the process faster.

Catherine sat down and smiled sweetly "C, we were actually wondering if it was too early to sign up to return next year?" She asked confidently. "We love it here and don't want to leave but we are not ready to do a winter now that we know that the creatures of the night are nearby, maybe next year when I have taken some self defense courses and Marissa and I have passed out flamethrower training class." Cecilia tried to smile but her tears of thanks and laughter came flooding out as she jumped up out of her chair and hugged them both fiercely. She loved the reference to flamethrower training, someone always managed to print 1 spoof flyer out each year to see who would sign up for such after watching the movie "The Thing" in which fire was the preferred weapon of choice against the alien life form. "I guess this place just kind of gets into your blood." Catherine said through her laughter. Another 300 would ask about the job fair dates over the next week and Cecilia was happy to hand out the forms to indicate a wish to return.

The old timers were harder to shake and nobody who had 2 or more seasons on the Ice thought about leaving, they knew they were needed here and every pair of hands made the work of all others easier and more enjoyable. The community spirit was strong and solid as ever and even the injured wanted to get back to the grind as soon as possible and not be flown north for treatment or rest and recreation breaks. Nichole and Patricia both had 2 weeks of hell trying to get flights and shipments of equipment back on track once more as well as preparing for the arrival of the supply and fuel ships in early January for the annual offload schedule. Mac and Steph groaned when they saw the amount of work left for them to do to knock the berms down at the runway and smooth everything out once more only 3 weeks before the runway was scheduled to be broken down and dragged over the Ice to Willey field. The area it was based now would soon be too weak to support aircraft and the access road would be ploughed through by the icebreaker to make channels for the incoming supply and tourist ships. The rescue team was split up and spread out with different military units which were now arriving to conduct examinations of some more newly discovered abscesses in the Ice, normal life was a thing of the past for this season and discussions were going on about the staffing levels of military and civilians for the winter months when the sun would disappear for 4 months before rising once more in August. The only thing that was certain was that anyone who was here this year was going to make a lot of money from selling the stories to those who wanted to hear the same thing from 1,000 different people even though only 220 were witness to the actual hostage experience.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

October 31 2009. Blade and the night stalkers were once again in Hut 10 and planning on leaving, the whole adventure had already been written up in several reports over the previous 3 days while everyone regained their strength and clarity once more. Blue 2 was stable and likely to survive but not be able to return to active duty ever again, he had already been offered a training post with SOF groups in new tactics and techniques for combating an enemy who was near impossible to kill. The other team members were going to assist in training the first teams and then take lead of their own squads while Blue 2 remained and become the lead instructor as well as working with several night stalkers for development of new weapons and use of such. The night stalkers were going to be the lead instructors for a new military group set up to work alongside them and assist in learning techniques for flushing out and destroying the vampires if any more existed.

Col Mayor walked in to Hut 10 and took a seat near the large windows overlooking the bay. "We know where the sub is, it was detected by British submarines and last seen in the Pacific headed to Japan. We closed in and soon had it on sonar but when we contacted it there was no reply, we fired warning shots and finally had to impact a disarmed torpedo into it at high speed and use the torpedo to force the sub closer to the surface. They were able to insert a specially trained team into the sub and they found it empty and on auto-pilot. The sub was towed behind one of our destroyers which reported a false damage report so that it could maneuver into port without raising any alarms and giving anything  
away and our people have already gone through the shell and believe that up to 35 people were on board when it left the Ice. Our people have decoded some of the hard drives and have found that they were very busy. There are over 12,000 entries in a database that we have found but not been able to decrypt. They created their own encryption software and hardware combination and it is nearly impossible for us to crack without some major assistance but they will be cracked one day and we will have someone link up with you people and then see where we go from there. The entries had various markings on them and we are unsure as to the meanings, some may be familiars and others might denote full or partial success or complete failures or just those who can only move around during the night. We have no idea what the symbols mean or how many of them are left and walking around either at night or during the day." Mayor stopped and Started out the window for some seconds. "I am unequipped for this kind of war, there is nothing in the books for fighting beings that are merely nightmares and stories and there is less on how to banish the forces of actual evil and not the axis of evil. A lot of things have been discussed over the last 3 days and we have covered a lot of ground and made a lot of guesses and suppositions, we are going on hope and instinct on much of this and you guys are masters of it. I am here to formally request that your group consider leading a Special Operations force designed and trained to combat such things in the future." Mayors was standing and holding his hand out towards Blade, Blade stood and Started at him for a few seconds before glancing at Whistler. She walked over and shook Mayor's hand, the deal was made and the bloodsuckers now had a new concern to worry about.

The next morning was busy, the hard drives had been partially decrypted and strings of numbers showed several locations on the Ice which may be locations of stores or even secondary bases. Satellite passes with more sophisticated equipment showed some features which may or may not be caverns near to the Ice edge in 3 different regions. All U-Boats reported lost at sea without confirmation were researched and categorized as missing, shore patrols were increased and allied submarines were called in to investigate possible outlets and escape routes. A Trident Nuclear attack submarine was lost with all hands as it began conducting sonar searches of one possible exit point. Later investigations discovered several limpet mines had been placed against the subs surface and detonated, the explosions damaged the engine rooms and radio mast as well as bilge tanks and weak points on the surface where the conning tower meets the structure. The flood of water was impossible to combat and the emergency radio antenna which released automatically when it determined the sub to be lost was released beneath the Ice itself and never made it close enough to the surface for its signal to be detected and the sub located in time for any survivors to be rescued.

Teams of night stalkers were flown in and partnered with trained assault teams, equipment was flown in overnight and plans were put in place for a very bad day for an all out assault on the possible locations of other camps. Blade knew they would all be empty by now, the radio signal or other sign would have been sent and the others would have recognized it and left. Satellite sweeps showed some of the possible camps destroyed and caved in only hours after being located on the maps, the word was out and the vampires were getting out, 1 camp still remained intact after 2 days and it was possible that it was either a storage location or a smaller camp with little or no contact ability. Shortwave radios were found at all the other camps and they deduced that a common frequency was sending alert signals to all receivers and was likely used to pass on coded messages for years without anyone else listening in knowing what was being sent. Another 2 days passed and the secondary night stalker teams were sent north again with their teams to begin tracking down those who had escaped and also capture those who had been caught and tracked with satellite or aircraft monitoring methods, there was nothing here to keep them and Blade wanted to remove the last bloodsuckers from the Ice himself.

The C-17 jets sounded deafeningly loud and powerful, the noise inside was no better and Blade was wishing they would just hurry up and get to the drop point so that he could get out of there and get to work. The large plane came in low and fast until it was a half mile from the expected outer edge of the danger zone for attacks on it. The pilot pulled the throttles back sharply and brought the speed from 400 MPH down to just 110 MPH. The red light blinked twice and Blade felt the plane tilt slightly to change direction away from passing directly over the proposed base camp. The light turned green and Blade removed a serum stick, stuck it in his mouth and began chewing, the galley staff had mixed them into a batch of jerky and chew bars and made something that tasted a little better than year old toe-nails, but not much better. He smiled as he watched the green light stay solid and at the first blink he launched himself backwards off the loading ramp and out into the blizzard blowing through the abyss of the frigid air outside. He landed hard and bounced twice before beginning to roll over and over. He stopped his roll against a small snowdrift and cursed as he felt the snow enter the neck of his coat and begin to melt into cold water. Blade stood up and regained his stance, pulled out his sword and began walking forward to where the center of the complex was expected to be located, a satchel charge of explosives was thrown onto the Ice where he thought the weakest point would be and he waited for the timer to count down.

The explosion was muted due to the shaped charges sending their energy down into the snow and in an outward pattern to open up the most area and create the most damage. Blade waited a second after the shock wave rolled under his feet before stepping forward onto the blast site and waiting. He knew it was going to take some shock to break the snow and he felt that he should have already felt secondary shock waves which would precede the fall. It was now 5 seconds, Blade had enough and tossed the anchor end of his fall arrest cable as far as he could so that it would attach itself to the Ice and then jumped on the rupture spot coming down as hard as he could and breaking the final surface tension. the snow collapsed beneath him and he rode the snow down like an elevator to the basement. The stop was sudden and sharp and the snow base exploded as it hit a number of obstruction beneath it before coming to rest on the floor of the cavern. Blade was thrown to the side but came up quickly with his sword in his hand and smile on his lips. The area was small and packed with storage boxes, it was a data storage area and it looked like they were in the process of packing and shipping the files, a shaft was visible in the corner of the room and boxes were being sent down by unarmed and weak people. "Hello clerks. I have a special delivery from the people up top, they thank you for your services but we will take it from here." He said as he stepped forward and began flashing his sword edge, 10 seconds later and 16 piles of ash lay around the floor as Blade leapt down the chute to the level below.

Blade landed in a dead end corridor with a low roof and only a short passage to its end which appeared to be another landing bay, he walked slowly to the open area and smiled as he watched a short man in glasses rush to close a hatch on a classic U-Boat which was already beginning to  
submerge. Blade had gotten used to the cold by now and he smiled as he leapt onto the hull and wrenched the hatch open before the nerdy file clerk could secure it, the nerd blocked his way into the boat but his sword made that problem go away very quickly. Blade landed in the forward part of the sub and placed his sword in the hip mounted scabbard, he then removed a triple bladed knife designed for close quarters combat. A large bulkhead was behind him to the fore of the boat and he spun the locking wheel open even though he could feel others on the other side trying to hold it closed. He heard the screams as fingers and wrists were shattered by the spinning wheel and he smiled when the door opened and revealed the torpedo room, there was no rooms farther forward than this one and he would not take long here. The Yo-Yo flew silently through the bay and once again acted like a small bolas spinning and cutting before returning to his hand and being placed in its holder. The torpedo room held no fish but Blade was going to make sure it had some explosive in it. He walked to the fore and opened the firing tubes, looked in and threw a handful of explosive charges in as far as they would go and then he walked slowly out of the room and began working his way aft. 20 seconds later he felt the eruption as the charges went off and blew out the outer doors of the torpedo tubes, there was already a stream of water coming in through the access hatch he had entered through and now the torpedo room was flooding fast. It took only 30 seconds before he felt the deck angle change and the floor rise. The sub was surfacing again and that allowed him all the time on the world but he still wanted to have some more fun.

The fore dining area was small and dirty, it was empty also and Blade knew that everybody on board was trying to get out as fast as they could which meant they were headed aft. He walked slowly and watched for traps but nothing came. The conning tower hatch was solid and dogged closed so he set up a motorized opener and stepped back from the hatch and around a corner before hitting the activation button. The hatch exploded as he expected it to and he could hear the voices of the crew beyond as they rushed to the opening and began firing automatic weapons into the corridor. Blade waited for the weapons fire to pass before stepping out and opening up with a small snub-nosed Uzi and eradicating the 3 vampires standing near the open hatch, a grenade took care of almost everyone else in the con and the rest proved no match for his knife work. 5 minutes was all it took for him to end the escape and capture 12 paper pushers and 2 submariners. The U-Boat had surfaced fully in the landing bay already and it was a simple task to push them up the ladder to the top of the hull where armed forces personnel were waiting to collect them, the papers were all saved except 1 box which had been blown apart with a grenade by a vampire. Papers were recovered and those who knew what they meant knew that a very good beginning to the joint venture and still early enough for lunch.

Within 1 month of the initial assault on the Ice a number of other assaults were launched, large companies suddenly went out of business or had a new board of directors elected into place. People went for walks or called to say they were taking a shower and would not be long, investigations turned up nothing but a collection of passports and a pile of dust but even though they had a lot of information and resources. They were only able to find 300 before the others went deeper into hiding and it became a game of cat and mouse as it had always been, the good old days were back and though he would never admit it, Blade could not be happier to be this busy again.

Far away from McMurdo a patch of snow caved in. A gloved hand rose shakily from the snow bed and began clearing an opening, a bright red parka enclosed arm rose slowly and soon a whole person emerged from the shallow grave. Another hole was opening close by and another red coated figure slowly poked its enshrouded head above the surface. The first figure walked stiffly and aided the second in escaping its containment. "Honey," the first said to the second. "Why is it that we cannot ever go anywhere without having to deal with vampires?"

"I don't know Brad" Janet said through the thick layers of clothing designed to protect them from the cold but now protecting them from the bright and deadly sunlight above, "But I have just realized how hungry I am."

Brad looked and even through the thick dark goggles he saw the look in Janet's eyes and began running as fast as he could through the snow.

The End

© 2009 Fergal.

I am sorry for the lack of editing on this piece, the size of it and the amount of work I am currently involved in prevents my repairing this piece to suit the upload program I use from the more neatly laid out format on my word processor. I am going to work on this again soon and add a great many more characters and also build upon the characters already mentioned in the story and more about the methodology on the Ice.

I have many more persons to add in roles that were not even referred to in any way but are essential to the complete overall story. The rough draft was some 51,000 words and this first draft piece exceeds 71,000 words based on a small section of the whole concept but of course, the story evolved over the 10 days I wrote it in so there is some confusion and problems with the timeline but please try and enjoy it as you go along.


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